STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 359 



feeble condition. One will tell you the}- need dressing, another will 

 say your ground is not suitable ; and you are at a loss to know what to 

 do j-ourself, and at last will give up trying to raise any fruit or 

 trees. In all the occupations of life study is required. 



The breeder of animals is constantly studying for the improve- 

 ment of his stock that he ma}' gain valuable points over former 

 years, first starting from the right source, the point is easily gained ; 

 so it is with the vegetable kingdom, it requires thought, study and 

 experiment to arrive at a sure foundation. We expect losses to a 

 greater or less degree in attaining what we seek ; but perseverance 

 will surely win. No [>ersou of sense would think of starting with 

 sickly, degenerated stock in the animal kingdom, knowing or even 

 thinking that the}' would produce healthy, robust results — if he did, 

 I am quite sure his labor would be crowned with bitter disappoint- 

 ment. It is the same with all animated nature, and, as a rule, like 

 begets like. 



The present system of producing fruit stock is very much on the 

 degenerating order. In order to produce good healthy fruit stock, 

 the seed germ must be obtained from healthy native trees of as 

 good quality as can be had. If you want to test the fruit and are 

 seeking for improved varieties to be used for grafting purposes, you 

 need not care so much. I should discard all seed from grafted fruit 

 in order to produce health}- stock ; you can test this experiment by 

 planting a row of seed from a native tree by the side of a row of 

 seed from grafted fruit, which will tell you which stands the winter 

 the best. You can see a difference in the growth as to hardiness 

 and tenderness, — you will find in ninety-nine cases in a hundred 

 the natural fruit stock is the best ; there is less winter killing, it 

 resists the cold and piercing winds better than the stock from 

 grafted seed. 



Another thing : using stocks from grafted seed, and using scions 

 from grafted trees, tends to degeneration, with no improvement as 

 to hardiness ; but, on the other hand, in using scions from grafted 

 trees or stock, upon natural seed stock, is advancing one step 

 toward hardiness, or rather a slight improvement in that direction ; 

 but if by chance, and there are i)ossil»ilities of obtaining fine varie- 

 ties of merit and worth, propagating from natural seed, place the 

 scions on to natural fruit stock, and you are likely to meet with 

 results desired. There is no doubt in my mind but this is a correct 

 rule to produce good healthy trees ; and I have no doubt but degen- 



