SOME OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF ECONOMIC BOTANY. 635 
These and the coreless apples and pears of the future, the stoneless 
cherries and plums, like the common fruits before mentioned, must be 
propagated by bud division, and be open to the tendeney to dimin- 
ished strength said to be the consequence of continued bud propaga- 
tion. But this bridge need not be crossed until we come to it. Bananas 
have been perpetuated in this way for many centuries, and pineapples 
since the discovery of America, so that the borrowed trouble alluded 
to is not threatening. First we must catch our seedless fruits. 
Which of our wild fruits are promising subjects for selection and ecul- 
tivation? 
Mr. Crozier, of Michigan, has pointed out* the direction in which 
this research may prove most profitable. He enumerates many of our 
small fruits and nuts which can be improved. 
Another of our most careful and successful horticulturists believes 
that the common blueberry and its allies are very suitable for this 
purpose and offer good material for experimenting. The sugar-plum, 
or so-called shad-bush, has been improved in many particulars, and 
others can be added to this list. 
But again we turn very naturally to Japan, the country from which 
our gardens have received many treasures. Referring once more to 
Prof. Georgeson’s studies,t we must mention the varieties of Japanese 
apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries and persimmons. The persim- 
mons are already well known in some parts of our country under the 
name “ kaki,” and they will doubtless make rapid progress in popular 
favor. 
The following are iess familiar: 
Actinidia arguta and volubilis, with delicious berries; 
Stauntonia, an evergreen vine yielding a palatable fruit; 
Myrica rubra, a small tree with an acidulous juicy fruit; 
Hleagnus umbellata, with berries for preserves. 
The active and discriminating horticultural journals in America and 
Kurope are alive to the possibilities of new Japanese fruits, and it can 
not be very long before our list is considerably increased. 
It is absolutely necessary to recollect that in most cases variations 
are slight. Dr. Masters and Mr. Darwin have called attention to this 
and have adduced many illustrations, all of which show the necessity 
of extreme patience and caution. The general student curious in such 
matters can have hardly any task more instructive than the detection 
of the variations in such common plants as the blueberry, the wild 
cherry, or the like. It is an excellent preparation for a practical study 
of the variations in our wild fruits suitable for selection. 
It was held by the late Dr. Gray that the variations in nature by 
which species have been evolved were led along useful lines, a view 
* American Garden, N. Y. 1890-91. 
+t American Garden, N. Y. 1891. 
