COLONEL WILDER'S ADDREBS. 



taken from the forest ; now we see millions of young viporous trees cultivated, sold, and 

 plant<'<l. in all i>arts of the Union, and where twenty years since not a single specimen of 

 the I'yrus was to be found. The jiublic no longer ridicule the man who plants a true with 

 the hope of gathering its fruit with his own hands, or the saving of seeds to improve the 

 qualitv of his fruits. True, Van Mons was ridiculed all his life, and oidy appreciated by 

 such pioneei-s as Davy, Poitoau, Diel, and Drapicz. His nurseries were thrice destroyed, as 

 wild, worthless thorn-bushes, under the false pretence of " public utility." This was an 

 irreparable loss, for however much his system be discussed and distrusted, it is still true 

 that the results of his experience have been most beniiticial to the world. 



"An honorable member of this Association and myself, have in trust many of tlie seed- 

 linsrs of that great master of pomology, which have not yet fruited. We have those of the 

 eighth generation, which, from vigor, beauty, and signs of refinement, give promise of supe- 

 rior character, and seem to confirm his doctrine of improvement by successive reproduction. 

 And while we are anxiously awaiting the further and ultimate results of his theory, others 

 on this side of the Atlantic are zealously engaged in hybridization and experiments which 

 cannot fail to be of immense advantage to the scientific and practical cultivator. 



" This progress should cheer us onward. No other country, in extent and variety of soil 

 and climate, is so well adapted, or otters so great advantages to the pomologist. Not only 

 does our coiTesjwndence from abroad testify to the truth of this statement, but our rapidly 

 extending domain continually develops new facts in confirmation of this sentiment. 



" By the reports from individual fruit growers, and from associations, it appears that some 

 varieties of the pear succeed equally as well in the extreme south part of our Union as in 

 the north. A gentleman from Oregon Territory recently informed me that settlers there had 

 already provided themselves with extensive orchards, and from which they gather fruits of 

 great size and excellence. He also makes a similar report in relation to Washington Terri- 

 tory, and instances among others an orchard of one hundred acres, which is now yielding a 

 large annual income to its j^roprietor. 



" A letter from the Vice-President of this Society for Utah, on the borders of the Great 

 Salt Lake, expresses the hope that it will not be long before that region shall be a successful 

 rival of other parts of the Union in variety and excellence of its fruits. Similar accounts 

 are received from the district of Santa Clara. 



" Another communication, fi-om an officer of this Society in California, assures me of the 

 great progress in our cause in that State, and i>ledges a full report of its horticultural exhi- 

 bition for our Transactions. One of my neighbors who went to California in 1854, and now 

 residing in Napa City, writes : ' Such is the rapid growth of vegetation in that district, that 

 apple-trees, from seed planted in the spring of 1853, and budded the same year, yielded 

 fruit in the autumn of 1855.' He says : ' I wish you could take a look at our peach orchard, 

 loaded with three to four thousand baskets of fruit. You could hardly believe that the trees 

 had made all their growth, and were most of them raised from seed, since I came to Cali- 

 fornia, February 1, 1854. The crop from this orchard is now (July 18, 1856) going to 

 market, and, we expect, will amount to between ten and twenty thousand dollars.' The 

 proprietor of that crop has called on me within a few days, confirms these statements, and 

 reports that the crop and prices fully realized all anticipations. 



" Such is the zeal now manifested in the cause of pomology, and such are the facilities 

 for intercommunication, that we are continually receiving valuable contributions from all 

 parts of the country and the world." 



Proceeding onward, gracefully, the President says : — 



" In my last address, I called your attention to the importance of raising new and improved 

 varieties from seed as the best method of increasing and preserving our supply of choice 

 fruits. Whether the theory of the running out of varieties be true or false, so thoroughly 

 am I convinced of the great practical utility of this recommendation, that I feel especially 

 desirous, while I have the opportunity, of encouraging you to perseverance, and of guarding 

 your minds against exposure to failures. 



" A false doctrine prevails among some, although founded on the theory of Van Mons, 

 ' tliat scions taken from seedlings, and grafted into stocks, however strong and healthy, will not yield 

 fruit earlier than it may be obtained from the mother plant.'' Adopting this theory as true, many 

 cultivators have been discouraged on account of the length of the process. Whatever may 

 have been the experience which called forth this theory from its learned author, in the 

 localities where it originated, or where it has been advocated, my reading and personal 

 ation constrain me to question its truthfulness ; certainly its application to our own 



untry. For instance, the fact is familiar to you all, that scions of the pear come into 



