76 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



an orchard in Kansas, I would not have as many trees in that orchard 

 for a few years as I would in Texas, if they were adapted to Texas in 

 the first place, I suppose. I take half a bushel of them and plant them 

 in Iowa or Nebraska and continue to travel northward, I will have less 

 and less trees, but I will have some apple seeds that will end after 

 several years in having apple seeds that will survive in Iowa and Ne- 

 braska, and this, if we accept it for your application, will kill all our 

 experimental work. We stand upon the foundation of the survival of 

 the fittest in all directions. Take the iron pea of the south, a selection 

 out of all peas, the common pea, the Whipple pea, etc. Out of all varieties 

 of them, one was found that resisted, and that was selected, and now 

 we have them growing in fields full of nematode and not a pea touched. 

 We are using it as fast as we can get the seed. It has not been known 

 to be attacked by the nematode. 



Mr. Siehrecht — Is this the same as the cow pea? 



Mr. Munson — The same as the cow pea, known as the iron pea. 

 Now, we know this, that there are certain varieties of vinifera grape in 

 Texas where we go as low as 15 degrees below zero, some fifteen or 

 twenty varieties that have stood that temperature, while there are others 

 that will not go below zero. Now, I am sure if I should take that one that 

 has endured the most cold and take pure seed — that is, its seed fertilized 

 by itself — and plant, say in Arizona or Kansas, I might find a few that 

 would stand the winter there ; or find some hardier in that lot, and con- 

 tinue to plant a few generations farther and farther north, I would find 

 a hardier crop, but I would not have a species. A transformation to an- 

 other species is impossible. I am confident of that, but it is these little 

 selections and the selecting as rapidly as the breeding of the plant will 

 permit, that enables us to make any progress, and it is through that, that 

 we do make all our progress with reference to this matter, I believe. 



Dr. Hansen — I have taken the so-called hardy peaches of Iowa that 

 have been raised for forty years by the seedling method, and have tried 

 those in Dakota. The trouble is that I don't get a single individual to 

 stand the winter. They all get killed. I don't get any to stand. I have 

 to start over again. The western people tried our box elder and they 

 winter-killed. They were about to give it up and they got the seed from 

 Canada and it winter-killed. Then they got their seed from St. Louis. 

 There is an example where they began too far away in the first place. 

 What do you mean by a few generations? The generation of vinifera 

 seedling would be how long? Five years? 



Mr. Siebrecht — Four or five years in its natural course. You could 

 make it bear in three years. 



Dr. Hansen — Ten generations would be fifty years. The only trouble 

 about that peach is, are we sure about Persia being the natural home? 



The President — We do not know. 



Dr. Hansen — They are a hardier form. I believe northern China. 

 Is not that considered about the native home rather than Persia? 



