92 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



I had planted these seeds promiscuously in beds of rich soil, 

 and when these seedlings bore fruit, their seeds were planted in 

 the same manner. This was not the best way. I raised many 

 hundred more seedlings than I had need to, and should have 

 succeeded more rapidly if I had planted only the seeds from 

 the grapes, showing the most marked change from the original 

 type. I thought I multiplied my chances of success by putting 

 all the seeds into the ground ; I had not yet learned that nature 

 makes constant efforts to return to her normal condition, and 

 resents the interference of man. Her purpose is merely the 

 continuation of the species, and she gives vigor and adaptation 

 to that end. The horticulturist desires the fruit, and not the 

 seed. His efforts are directed to ameliorating the harshness of 

 flavor, to softening the pulp, to making, in short, the fruit more 

 edible. He accomplishes this by putting the seeds into a soil 

 rich with stimulating composts, abounding with the particular 

 food which is best adapted to his purpose. 



The new conditions change the character of the plant. Instead 

 of meadow or pasture, where the parent vine grew with vigor, 

 indeed, but with the coarse habit incident to wild nature, the 

 new-born seedling revels in the abundant and congenial food 

 prepared for it, and grows apace with cells and tissues enlarged, 

 and stimulated by the nature of its feeding, and shows a change 

 of habit more or less marked. In a bed of a thousand seedlings 

 there will be vines showing a decided difference from the rest 

 in shape and texture of leaf, length of joint, and shape and 

 prominence of buds. These are the signs of improvement, of 

 the departure from the native type, and the tokens of success 

 to the cultivator. These vines deserve his special care, from 

 them he will obtain vines with still more marked change of 

 habit, and the greater the divergence from the original type, 

 the more certain will be his success. 



In the third and fourth generations great differences of shape 

 and size will be observable, and it is probable that size, color, 

 or any particular quality could be established as a characterise 

 in the progeny of such grapes, by continued breeding from 

 them. 1 do not advance this idea as a fact established, but a 

 probability worthy the attention of the breeder. 



Fall details of all the facts and circumstances relating to 

 grape breeding cannot be given in a brief essay like this, but it 



