The gardener's assistant; a practical and scientific exposition of the art of gardening in all its branches (1910) (14781512791)

Identifier: gardenersassista04thom (find matches)
Title: The gardener's assistant; a practical and scientific exposition of the art of gardening in all its branches
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Thompson, Robert, 1798-1869 Watson, William, 1858-1925
Subjects: Gardening Horticulture
Publisher: London : The Gresham Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library



Text Appearing Before Image:
lenty of work for those who have the time,the opportunity, and the desire to do it. Thomas Andrew Knight, at the end of theeighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenthcentury, set an admirable example to horticul-turists in the systematic improvement of fruits,including Apples, but until comparatively recentyears very little has been done on the samelines. Mr. Knight feared that the old varietiesof Apples were dying out owing to repeatedpropagation by grafting and budding, and hesought to obtain a re-invigorated race by callingin the aid of the varieties that approached morenearly to the original stock. In several instances vigorous, hardy-constitutioned, and fertile formsresulted, but they could only rank as high-classCider Apples. The most notable of these werethe Siberian Bittersweet and the Siberian Har-vey, both of which originated in crosses betweenthe Yellow Siberian Crab and Golden Harveyor Brandy Apple, the latter being the pollenparent. Foxley was another of the same type,
Text Appearing After Image:
Fig. 845.—Siberian Crab (Pyrus baccata). (§.) and resulted from a cross between the ScarletSiberian Crab Pyrus baccata (fig. 845) and theGolden Pippin. If these crosses had been ex-tended to another generation or two, some re-markable results might have been obtained.The best of Mr. Knights other seedling Applesare Downton Pippin from Isle of Wight OrangePippin fertilized with Golden Pippin (Yellowand Red Ingestrie are from a similar cross),and Bringewood Pippin from Golden Pippincrossed with Golden Harvey. Not only was the principle of systematic cross-fertilization thus introduced amongst fruits, butthe greatest care was adopted to prevent self-fertilization, by removing the stamens from theseed parent before the anthers were mature.It is also essential that the flowers be protectedby small muslin or paper bags before and after 48 THE GARDENERS ASSISTANT. the pollen is applied. Whatever is employedfor protection must be light and translucent,and be removed immediately the fruit i