226 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



as thrifty, hardy and productive as the Ben Davis. Tliis probably could be accom- 

 plished by crossing the flowers of different varieties, and after many trials with such 

 seedlings, produce the desired variety. 



This is a scientific aud beautiful study for our Experimental Farmers at the Agricul- 

 tural colleges. A seed is one of the most wonderful things in the works of nature. 

 Let us go back to its origin and contemplate for a moment : 



"And the earth brought forth grass and herb, yielding seed after its kind, and the 

 tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its kind ; and God saw that it was 

 good." If the Creator had first made the seed, there would have been no necessity to 

 have created the plant or tree, for that wonderful and beautiful principle of producing 

 the plant was created in the seed ; and each species reproducing " seed after its kind." 

 I have never been able to discover that God made any mistakes here ; the apple seed 

 produces the apple tree, and the pear, the pear ; aud I have never heard of these differ- 

 ent species hybridizing ; if it has ever occurred, as with animals, it will not be likely 

 to continue in that line to another generation. To have created the seed, was to have 

 created the plant, for in the little seed is contained all the principles and powers of 

 producing the plant and the gigantic tree ; the apple always covering its tree with 

 apple bark, apple limbs, and apple buds and blossoms ; no two leaves alike and no two 

 blossoms alike, and no two seeds alike. In each seed is established a new variety. If 

 Mr. Bull, and Mr. Rogers, can so direct the propagation of grape seeds, as to produce 

 desired varieties, why not do the same with the apple? Cannot the color of the apple 

 be influenced by shading the flower with desired colors ; colored glass with its warm 

 and strong reflection. So with flavor ; flavor it with fragrant air ! 



Another error very common with many horticulturists, "and the rest of mankind," 

 about the Sponigoles that support the tree. A Spongiole, Webster says, "In botany a 

 supposed expansion of minute parts of the termination of radicles, resembling sponge, 

 for absorbing the nutriment of plants." 



Of course Webster is good authority, aud gets all the scientific knowledge he can on 

 the subject, and this he says is supposed to be so. Now if we are to suppose about the 

 growth of a tree, I am going to try my hand at it ; and it seems to me that any person 

 who ever worked in a nursery with his eyes open, could see that the main support of the 

 tree is not from the minute spongioles at the termination of the roots. 



First, we dig up the little seedling, and cut all the little spongioles off ; graft it and set 

 it out and it grows — not without a spongiole, fori suppose that the whole root is a 

 spongiole, the bigger the better. 



Second. I write this article because my customers want me to save all the little shreds 

 of roots on the trees, for through them they are informed the main support of the tree 

 comes. I think those small, very small spongioles, are a damage to the tree in trans- 

 planting, rather than a benefit. Suppose we take up two trees with one side with a mass 

 of shreds of roots, and the other side a few large, long roots, with few small ones, and 

 we cut off all the small ones from the large ones, and from one of those trees we take 

 off all the roots from the side on which there was a mass of small ones, and from the 

 other take off the large ones from the other side. Now which is the best tree to set out ? 

 Certainly the tree with the large roots, the greatest surface of bark of the root, for the 

 whole bark of the root is its spongiole. 



Every nurseryman knows that trees live and grow if they have plenty of large roots, 

 even if they have no small ones. The bark of the root, when in moist soil, is constantly 



