RAISING FRUITS FROM SEED. 



to be picked and transmitted to markets at a considerable distance. The tree — -a 

 handsome, erect grower, vigorous, and exceedingly productive, bearing quite young, 

 both on pear and quince. It is readily distinguished by its narrow folded leaves and 

 yellowish shoots. It takes and grows well on the quince, but is so disposed to fruit- 

 fulness as to become very soon enfeebled, unless pruned pretty close annually, and the 

 soil about its roots kept in a condition to afford abundant nourishment. The reason 

 why this pear is short-lived on the quince is, that the course of management is not 

 adapted to its habits. 



RAISI^^G FRUITS FROM SEED.* 



We know of no subject on which we can more profitably offer a few observations at 

 this time of the year than that of raising fruit from seed. We are every year ran- 

 sacking foreign countries for new varieties ; we are not satisfied with what we have, 

 and we never shall be. It is in the nature of man to seek for novelties ; and it is 

 well, on the whole, that it is so. We shall not say a word against this, but we wish 

 to commend to people's attention the abundant means which nature has placed 

 within our reach to produce new varieties here, at home, on our own soil. 



Shall we neglect these ? We hope not. There seems, fortunately, at the present 

 time, a disposition in the public mind favorable to the improvement of home resources 

 in a gardening sense, and the raising of seedling fruit is certainly one of the most 

 important. Just enough has been already done to show what we may do, and afford 

 us encouragement to proceed. Dr. Kirtland's cherries. Dr. Brinckle's raspberries, 

 and many varieties of strawberries, all of much merit, are recent additiofis to our lists 

 of fruits, raised from seed in the simplest manner, without any regard to the niceties 

 of hybridization ; so we can count up fifteen or twenty first rate American seedling 

 pears, and every locality can boast of its favorite and peculiar seedling apples, some 

 of which, and indeed many of which, have a national rejDutation, all grown from 

 chance seedlings. 



Now, in fruit-growing it is of the highest importance that every man cultivate such 

 varieties as are best adapted to his soil and climate. One of the great problems 

 which pomologists are at present endeavoring to solve, relates to this very point. As 

 botanists have divided the surface of the earth into zones of vegetation, each of which 

 is characterized by a peculiar flora, by the prevalence of certain trees, and shrubs, and 

 plants that flourish there, and there only ; so in fruit-culture it is believed necessary 

 to map off this great country of ours, embracing such a variety of climate, into pomo- 

 logical zones, in each of which certain fruits will succeed better than elsewhere. On 

 this pomological chart, which our American Pomological Society, if it live and thrive, 

 will one day appoint a commission to draw up, we shall see clearly defined the exact 

 limits of successful cultivation of our JBariletts, Scckels, and Virgalieus ; owr New- 

 Pi2ipi)is, Baldwins^ and Si^ys ; and this will certainly be a most interesting and 



* From the Genesee Farmer for July, 1853. 



