120 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



is developed up in the leaf. I do not know whether it is going to be sweet- 

 apple wood that those cells will form, or sour; that is what I wish decided. 



Mr. Chase: Prof. Waite, I think it was, if I mistake not, made some 

 remarks on the question I asked, but 1 do not think he answered the 

 question. The question 1 asked was in regard to deterioration of plants- 

 which are propagated by budding or division. It is true that propagation 

 by the sexual method combines the hereditary traits of two individuals;, 

 but still, when you come to the last analysis of the methods of propaga- 

 tion, they are the same, you have the hereditary traits of two sets of 

 individuals which become affected, the environment perhaps of ages acting 

 upon them, and you have a more rapid change in the formation; you 

 have a condition in the result which you get in the seed which is alto- 

 gether different from the change in the bud; the change in the bud is 

 simply subjected to the environment, which is a very gradual change. 

 You may take some stock from southern soil and transplant it into north- 

 ern soil, and the change of environment, change of climate, gives ,you 

 the variation, but it is a very slow variation. That of course is all very 

 plain to any one who has given any attention to the subject of biology. 

 The question I raised was in regard to deterioration in plants which are 

 propagated by budding. It has been stated that, with that process, the 

 stock will run out in time and go down. Why not by changing environ- 

 ment improve those, and by selecting from stocks of trees that bear the 

 best fruit? Are there not just as many possibilities, though the process 

 be slow, of improving your stock by propagation by budding? I do not 

 believe there is any scientific cause for deterioration of stock by propaga- 

 tion by budding. I do not believe anybody can bring forward any reason. 

 Some have the idea, or express the idea, that stocks in time would run 

 out. I do not believe there is any scientific reason for it. 



Prof. Waite: Well, I tried to make the point that there was a scientific 

 reason that it should be maintained, laying aside bud variation, 



Mr. Chase: The point is, in bud variation you have the most favorable 

 circumstances for producing invariability. In the process of propagation 

 by seed you have always the combination of two individuals, which gives 

 you the hereditary traits of two individuals, which gives you a change 

 of variety at once, a more rapid change. 



