SECRETARY'S REPORT. 137 



Another reason may be found in the fact that new soils of natu- 

 rally a rather tenacious character, but occupied to a considerable 

 extent with roots, more or less decayed, do not suffer from the 

 presence of stagnant water beneath the surface, to the same extent 

 that the same lands will suffer from this cause after the roots of 

 the former growth have completely decayed, and the soil has fallen 

 into a more compact and less pervious condition than before. 

 Here, too, the remedy is obviously indicated by the nature of the 

 trouble, viz : Thorough drainagk. Under-draining is absolutely 

 necessary to success in fruit culture in all soils which retain water 

 in a stagnant condition within two or three feet of the surface. 

 Fruit trees cannot thrive with wet feet all the year round. To 

 attempt their culture upon retentive soils without draining, is to 

 throw away time and money. Every observing person knows that 

 our best orchards are upon strong rocky or stony soils, with a dry 

 or porous ^ubsoil, which allows all surplus water to pass readily 

 away. Rarely do orchards thrive even tolerably upon clayey or 

 other naturally retentive soils, unless underlaid by 9, porous subsoil, 

 or upon hillsides free from springs where the descent answers in 

 part the purpose of drains. 



Another reason of much force in this connection is, that the trees 

 first planted were seedlings, which had grown four, five, or six 

 years upon the farmer's own land, or in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood, on similar soil, and there being plenty of them, only the best 

 and most vigorous were planted out permanently. The simple 

 fact that they had thus grown upon the spot is conclusive evidence 

 that they were hardy, thrifty, and adapted to the soil and climate ; 

 and this not because, as many suppose and some have asserted, 

 that a tree or plant by reason of having grown from a seed in any 

 given locality, thereby acquires a character or constitution espe- 

 cially adapted to that locality, for this is false, the fact being that 

 all the characteristics of a plant to be grown from a seed— as, for 

 instance, whether its fruit shall be large or small, green or red, 

 sweet or sour, as also whether the plant itself shall be vigorous or 

 feeble, hardy or tender — are all delermined during the formation of 

 the seed, before it germinates at all, or anywhere, just as much as 

 it is determined in the seed whether the plant to be grown from it 

 shall produce an apple or a pear, a cucumber or a cabbage ; but 

 because, having grown vigorously for a series of years in a severe 

 climate, the possession of hardihood and vigor are demonstrated 



