ILLINOIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 2«51 



ally occurs in the life ol the parent, ur ;it the time of tlie origin of the 

 bud it will always remain practically the same. We graft and bud for 

 generations of single plant lives and still the diritinctive characteristics of 

 the subject remain with no great apparent change, except perhaps a 

 weakening of vitality. 



But the exceptional phenomenon ot bud variation occurs often 

 enough to show that the a-se.vual young may be different from the j)arent, 

 if the proper influences are brought to bear to change them. What in- 

 fluences are necessary to cause a plant to produce sporting buds, no one ex- 

 actly knows, but they occur, and occur most frequently in plants which are 

 furthest removed from their natural habits by high culture, change of 

 locality and climate, and fornaer crossing or hybridizing. 



VVhile bud variations are comparatively rare (though they are very 

 much more common than is generally supposed) the variations from par- 

 ent forms which appear in seedlings, are so common that for many plants 

 to breed true is a rarity. 



The seed is made up of two elementary principles or forces derived 

 often from two separate plants, each of which is liable to be so influ- 

 enced by surrounding conditions, that it shall permanently impress upon 

 its oflspring traits of character not discoverable in either parent. The 

 bud on the other hand has only the one parent to inherit from, and only 

 the most serious circumstances can impress the parent to [produce the. 

 sporting bud. 



Now what occurs in crossing and hybridizing.' Here are not only 

 the two parents but they are more or less dissimilar in forms or charac-. 

 icrs, hence the union of their elements may be more or less unequal m 

 any one or more of a thousand different ways. This unbalancing of the 

 constitution may cause to appear what seem to be new traits of charac- 

 ter, but really what may be peculiarities which e.\isted in either parent but 

 more masked or moditiSd by other prominent habits. 



Crossing leads to a multiplicity of variations, and just as the cross is 

 more or less a violent one, (between veiy dissimilar forms) the variations 

 will be more or less pronounced or more or less numerous. 



Hybridizing, (the intercrossing of species) more violent yet, often 

 so shocks the vital force that the jjrocreative function is lost. The plant 

 fails to breed and is only reproduced from buds. 



Greatly to our shame as a nation, with all our princely endowments 

 for the aid of the rural science education, we are yet doing nothing to 

 gain an insight into the immense subject of plant-breeding, at least 1 have 

 not been able to hear of any fair series of experiments undertaken with 

 a view to develop such knowledge. 



True, a few of us who cannot afford the outlay of time and means, 

 do. in enthusiastic moments, try to pry away into the secrets of Nature's 

 laboratory, but generally the work is too great for the force applied, to 

 achieve much. 



My friend Peffer, of Wisconsin, has dug out some interestmg facts 

 in plant-breeding which I hope he will favor us with, as they are the best 

 fruits of careful, long continued labor and observation. 



