THE REGENERATION OF FRUITS. 297 



Egg, will bear fruit before those from the very new Pear, Prince 

 Albert ; for my seedlings raised from old varieties have hitherto 

 borne fruit just as early as those I have raised from the new sorts 

 of Van Mons. I am inclined also to think that his system of 

 amelioration by successive generations, although on paper attrac- 

 tive and interesting, and, as I have said, in unison with facts, was 

 as slow and uncertain as raising Pears from seed in the common 

 chance way, for the following reason. Some few years since I 

 was travelling in Belgium, and paid a visit to the garden of the 

 late Major Esperen. I learned that he had no system of raising 

 Pears ; but that he sowed seed according to his fancy, and trusted 

 to chance. I was surprised to find that he had raised in a com- 

 paratively small garden, and out of a small number of seedlings, 

 such Pears as Josephine de Malines, Bezy d'Esperen, Fondante 

 de Xoel, Fondante de Malines, and some others. T afterwards 

 saw the vast collection of Van Mons ; thousands of large trees 

 raised from seed after his system : among them all, it may safely 

 be said, there was not one variety to surpass, or even to equal, 

 the two first-named varieties raised by chance. To chance also, 

 and not to this much vaunted of systems, we owe such Pears as 

 Marie Louise, Glou Morceau, Beurre Ranee, Beurre d'Arem- 

 berg, and, above all. Winter Nelis ; so that we may console our- 

 selves with the idea that chance is very liberal, and the system of 

 Van Mons not so ; for after a whole lifetime devoted to it, it 

 failed to give him five Pears to surpass the above, or to equal the 

 last-named. 



I remember, when first I heard Van Mons talk of his theory, 

 feeling assured it was not tenable, only I was in great awe of him ; 

 for I thought if amelioration is progressive in seedlings raised in 

 successive generations without crossing ; and if, in like manner, 

 fertility is increased by it, the Peach orchards in America would 

 give fruit perfect in quality and of wonderful fertility, for the 

 Peaches in some of the States are raised, generation after gene- 

 ration, from the stones. What wonders the fortieth generation 

 of Peach-trees ought to be in the United States ; for they should 

 bear the first year from seed, according to the theory of Van 

 Mons. 



Among the hundreds of varieties of Peai's with the name of 

 Van Mons attached to them, there are some very good, although 

 by far too many are sorts ripening in October or November. By 

 raising Pears from seed in England, we shall have sorts better 

 adapted to our cUmate, and of equal or perhaps better quality ; 



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