eing
grown at the Illinois Experiment Station. Reciprocal hybridizations
between standard orchard varieties and various species of the genus
Malus have been made, fifty-seven species and varieties which are not of
commercial importance having been obtained from the Arnold Arboretum at
Boston. Direct improvement through these violent crosses is not
anticipated, but it is hoped to acquire valuable information regarding
the affinities of the various species used, and also to produce material
for use in back crossing. Reciprocal crosses between standard orchard
varieties are also being made in large numbers, while a difficult piece
of work has been attempted in the reciprocal crossing of different
strains of the same variety, and different individuals of the same
strain. C.S. Crandall writes: "This project has aimed at the selfing of
particular individuals, and the use on trees here of pollen from trees
of the same variety in orchards 100 miles away and grown under quite
different conditions. Considerable effort has been expended in the
prosecution of this project, but up to the present time we have recorded
no successful pollinations. We have not as yet a very wide range of
varieties, but as far as we have gone we have encountered complete
sterility in the selfing within the individuals and in the attempt to
use pollen of the same variety brought from a distance. The unfortunate
feature about all the hybridizing work with apples is the mongrel
character of the plants on which we work. We know nothing of the
parentage of any of our varieties, and it seems quite useless to
speculate on what the segregation of characters may be in crosses
between different varieties. A further discouraging feature in apple
breeding is the long period required to get results from any particular
cross. Effort is being made to shorten this period by grafting scions of
hybrid seedlings on dwarf stocks and growing the plants in pots. This
will help some, but at best the attainment of results is some distance
in the future. We are endeavoring to maintain a reasonably complete
record of every step that is taken so that a complete history may be
available for those who may later continue the work.

"In pursuing the projects as outlined above there are a number of minor
problems that are receiving some attention: such as the retention of the
vitality of pollen, the period of receptivity, the seed production in
hybrid fruits, and the time for and perce