260 TRANSACTIONS OF THE HORTICULTURAL 



ie., more likely to differ from the original. Now pick out twenty 

 or thirty of the best specimens of this bushel of apples and save 

 their seeds. Do not let the seeds get dry, but keep in damp soil, 

 or sow them at once, and when the young plants appear, very 

 carefully tend them so that they will grow strong, and if growth 

 enough is made you may get cions to graft in the next spring 

 after sowing the seed, and if these grafts are made in bearing 

 trees, you may be tolerably sure of getting fruit the fourth year, 

 or even sooner. My plan would be to let these seedlings grow 

 two years, at which time a tolerable clever nurseryman or or- 

 chardist could be able to select the good sorts from them. Now 

 this is not "guess work." I know of an orchard that was grown 

 from seed in the manner above described which, I verily believe 

 has more good, hardy trees, and more good, fine large apples in 

 it than an orchard of the same size, and planted with the same 

 number of varieties selected out of the named varieties, would 

 bear. What has been done can be done again, and improved 

 upon too. The same course proposed for the improvement of 

 the apple can be pursued for the improvement of other fruits. 

 A continual breaking into habits and characteristics will cause 

 changes to take place that cannot be arrived at by any sudden 

 process, and if it is a fact, as some claim, that the plum and 

 peach have been hybridized, the door has already been unlocked 

 that shall open to the touch of the skillful hand that shall have 

 the boldness to enter its almost sacred portals, and I say all 

 honor to him who shall give us the first lesson. Poets sing and 

 great men write about the mighty pen, but who is able to fore- 

 see the mighty changes that may be wrought by the subtle touch 

 of the experimenter's tiny pollen brush? A dip in the pollen of 

 this species and a touch of the brush to the stigma of that flower 

 and lo ! a change in nature has occurred that may change whole 

 districts of fruitless lands into ruddy orchards or fruitful vine- 

 yards. Truly the pen is mighty, but the little pollen brush con- 

 ducted by the same ingenious mind can produce mightier results 

 for man's blessing, and is not so dangerous to his peace and hap- 

 piness. 



Leaving the apples, the next most important fruit, in my 

 opinion, is the strawberry. A great jump from the high-headed, 

 lordly apple down to the lowly, grovelling strawberry. But stop 

 a minute and try your hardy apple tree mettle with the ice-defy- 

 ing strawberry. Let old winter blow ever so fiercely, and shut 

 down ever so firmly, with his icy grasp, the strawberry, if prop- 

 erly mulched, comes forth unscathed, while if even the Kus- 

 sians are not hedged in with a well ripened growth they will 

 show their weakness in their wrestle with old Boreas. But what 

 of the improvements in this best of all natures, which we call 

 small fruits? Are we getting ahead any, or was the Wilson the 

 limit? Verily it has taken a long time to beat it, if it has been 



