1880.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



261 



these attracted my attention from its dissimilarity to the 

 others in the color of the stem and foliage. I observed it 

 carefully until it bloomed, when it proved to be a fine 

 yellow, all the other shoots retaining the normal color of 

 the Safrano. From this sport, which was named " Isabella 

 Sprunt," from one of my daughters, I sent cutting to Mr. 

 Isaac Buchanan, a florist, of New York, in i860, and it 

 was sent out by him some two or three years afterwards, I 

 think before the close of the war, though I heard nothing 

 concerning it till 1865. (By referring to old files of the 

 Coinitry Gentleman, we find Mr. Buchanan first offered this 

 for sale in 1865). 



I may add that in the winter of 1856 I took up the old 

 plant, and sawed the stock into five or si.x piece=;, being 

 careful to get a good share of the root to the yellow shoot ; 

 that plant still lives and is quite constant, though it has 

 had, perhaps, two or three Safrano flowers, certainly one, 

 and besides, about three years ago there was a fully-de- 

 veloped bud and flower, exactly one-half of which was like 

 Safrano, and the other half like Isabella Sprunt. I tried 

 to fix this new sport, but it produced afterwards only yellow 

 flowers. 



About the same time (1855) I divided some strong plants 

 of Agrippina and planted them at my new home. Two or 

 three years later I observed a single shoot from one of these 

 plants growing vigorously without flowers or branches, and 

 as I observed it from time to time, it continued until it 

 measured over fifteen feet before it showed any buds, the 

 rest of the plant retaining its normal characteristics. This 

 shoot branched out very freely the following year, and cut- 

 tings retained the same habit invariably. I came to the 

 conclusion that this was not a sport, but a chance seedling, 

 as the flowers were so very unlike the parent, and the roots 

 were so matted together that I could not determine whether 

 it proceeded from the old root or not, without taking up 

 the whole plant, which I was unwilling to do. But the 

 wonderful thing is that after the rest of the plant had for 

 years retained its origmal habit and flowers, gradually it 

 began to change, until the whole is now like the [ames 

 Sprunt in growth and flower, and no part of the Agrippina 

 remains. I have written you this statement that you may 

 judge for yourself, my own opinion having changed more 

 than once. Yours very respectfully, 



James M. Sprunt. 



Safrano is, therefore, without doubt, a sport 

 resulting from one of these strange freaks in 

 which Nature occasionally indulges. About 

 James Sprunt, there is less certainty, but I con- 

 sider it also to be a sport; it is like Agrippina, 

 onlj' with more substance of flower, and greater 

 vigor of growth. 



The theory of evolution would point towards 

 this, as an example of how Nature tends towards 

 progression and improvement as well as towards 

 variation. 



In conclusion I would say a few words respect- 

 ing American roses of the future. Attention is 

 sometimes directed to the contributions we have 

 made to the list of new and valuable fruits. 



Among apples, we lay claim to such standard 

 sorts as Jefferis, Sherwood's Favorite, Baldwin, 

 Jonathan, King, Ladies' Sweet, Mother, New- 

 town Pippin, Northern Spy, Peck's Pleasant, 

 Rhode Island Greening, Golden Russett, Wagner, 

 and many others. 



Among pears, we have Clapp's Favorite, Tyson, 



Howell, Seckel, Sheldon, Dana's Hovey, Jones 

 Dr. Reeder, Frederick Clapp, etc. 



Among cherries, we originated American Am- 

 ber, Coe's Transparent, Delicate, Downer's Late 

 Red, Gov. Wood, Kirtland's Mary, Robert's Red 

 Heart, Sparhawk's Honey. 



Among plums, we have Bleecker's Gage, Den- 

 niston's Superb, Duane's Purple, Imperial Gage, 

 Jefferson, Lombard, McLaughlin, Peters' Yellow 

 Gage, St. Lawrence, Washington and Yellow 

 Gage. 



In peaches we produced the following leading 

 varieties : 



Alexander, Amsden, Cooledge's Favorite, Craw- 

 ford's Early, Crawford's Late, Foster, Haines' 

 Early, Hale's Early, Morris White, Old Mixon 

 Freestone, Surpasse Melocoton, Waterloo, etc. 



It is needless to mention grapes and strawber- 

 ries, since, with the exception of three or four 

 sorts of strawberries, only American varieties 

 are, in this country, at all grown. 



We have probably produced as many of the 

 leading and best varieties of fruits as all other 

 countries combined. Generally speaking, this 

 has not been due to any particular skill which 

 has been brought to bear, but rather to the great 

 range and variation in climate, and to quick ob- 

 servation in discerning and utilizing the varia- 

 tions which nature, under favorable circum- 

 stances, is ever producing. 



If we assist nature in her strivings for varia- 

 tion, and turn her laws to our advantage, how 

 much more interesting and satisfiictory in every 

 way, would be the result ! 



For example, in the dissemination of a new 

 pear; a graphic and attractive description, and 

 the reputation of the disseminator for sending 

 out novelties of value only, will procure, at least 

 a limited sale for the new variety offered. But, 

 if it can be said that the new pear is a known 

 seedling from Sheldon, or from Beurre Superfin 

 crossed by Urbaniste, how much more confidence 

 would be placed in the new kind proffered ! We 

 know the characteristics of Sheldon, of Beurre 

 Superfin and of Urbaniste, and we can have some 

 idea of what their progeny will be. 



Much the same laws operate in the animal and 

 vegetable kingdoms. No experienced breeder of 

 cattle or horses would think for a moment of de- 

 pending upon chance results; he knows that by 

 crossing this strain with that, he will obtain what 

 he desires, and will be able in a great measure 

 to know what the produce will be. 



