NOTES ON THE WEARING OUT OF VARIETIES. 



shortening the others moderately, and regulating the head. In summer, as soon as any 

 strong shoots are perceived not likely to flower, the points should be pinched out; and the 

 laterals from these in general bloom well. Tiiis applies to all. As soon as the first bloom 

 is over, cut the dead flower stalks back to the next well developed bud, but not too far 

 back; for if this is done the branch will not break freely, whereas in the former case it 

 will soon push out abundance of fresh flowering shoots. Give abundance of liquid ma- 

 nure during the growing season. There is no fear of green centers in any of the Roses I 

 have selected; nor is this a failing common to many of the autumnals. 



NOTES ON THE WEAEING OUT OF VARIETIES. 



BY A. MARSHALL, AVESTCHESTER, PA. 



A. J. Downing, Esq. — Your learned correspondent, Mr. Townley, in an essay on the 

 " Conditions required for the growth of Parasitic Fungi," published in the Horticulturist 

 for July, uses the following language: — " I may be permitted to say that the evidence of 

 apple trees and other plants seems to me to afford substantial grounds for coinciding with 

 the views advanced b}' Andrew Knight, that each plant propagated by extension, that 

 is, b}' buds, cuttings, layers, or roots, instead of seeds, has a limited duration — that it 

 cannot, by any known means, be continued equally healthy and vigorous forever; but that 

 sooner or later the progeny will gradually decline in vigor, become unhealthy and unpro- 

 ductive, not suited to the purposes of the cultivator, and consequently extinct." 



The evidence of apple trees and other plants! Well, that is coming to the point. As 

 Mr. Townley is in possession of such evidence on the subject as affords him substantial 

 grounds for coinciding in those views, I hope he will be kind enough to lay it before the 

 readers of the Horticulturist, that each one may decide for himself Some people believe 

 easier than others. Give us the facts, and let each one draw his own conclusions. 



Again, (on page 320,) speaking of restoring the potato by seedlings, he says — " It is 

 equally vain to expect, as many have done, that the vigor of the plant can be restored by 

 one generation of seedlings. The progeny of unhealthy and degenerate parents cannot 

 reasonably be expected to be perfectly healthy and hardy." 



He first condemns propagation by extension, in comparison with seeds, and then con- 

 demns the seedlings too. His hobby evidently trips a little here; — I like to see so bold a 

 rider mounted on a sure-footed nag. 



Now, if the evidence shall prove conclusively that trees and plants propagated by ex- 

 tension, do produce degenerate fruit from that very cause, and that alone; that the seeds 

 also partake of the degeneracy, and can only be restored through many generations, if at 

 all; then we may prepare to shut our mouths against good apples and potatoes, for along 

 time to come. 



Seedling apples must be resorted to, in order to restore the fruit to its pristine purity, 

 says our new philosophy. We have the Northern Spy, the Melon, the Mother, the Bald- 

 win, the Jeffries, and many others. Now we want to see the evidence that the seeds from 

 which these new varieties were produced, were not of the fruit of some of the old " de- 

 generate" varieties. If this cannot be produced, we may have a long road before us to 

 travel before reaching the summit of perfect fruit, by a wild-goose chase of seedlings 



Our natural fruit, so called, is generally produced from the seed of trees propagated by 



