On the Improvement of Fruits. 11 1 



identifying- such things as Matchappees and Bachapins. Those 

 who are curious however in regard to exactness of sounds 

 ought to ascertain the local extraction and nurture of the 

 writer. A Scottish hand will trace sounds by different marks 

 from those employed by an Englishman, of which there are 

 many instances in Missionary records. An instance of in- 

 attention to the powers of a foreign alphabet occurs in the 

 No. IIL of the Journal above referred to, where a chief is pre- 

 sented to us as reigning at Mombas under the title of Xeque, 

 this being obviously the Portuguese version of the common 

 Arabic title Slieik ; another source of uncertainty is presented 

 in Captain Owen's book, where the Caffer territory is indi- 

 cated as divided into provinces under titles which are ob- 

 viously the names of the chiefs lately ruling them, this may 

 perhaps account for the changes of names which in old maps 

 are found sown tliickly over the great blank of interior Africa. 



ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF FRUITS. 



It is or ought to be generally known that we possess a power 

 of varying and improving flowers and fruits, to an extent of 

 which we do not yet see the limits, and in many cases do not 

 understand the causes- Long culture or long subjection to the 

 influence of particular soils, climates, or treatment, probably 

 alters existing qualities to a very considerable degree — thus it 

 is likely that those grapes cultivated iu this country, of which 

 the stock came originally from Europe, will present, when com- 

 pared with European specimens, suflicicut differences to be 

 rated as distinct varieties ; in the catalogues we have a wkite 

 and red Constantia ranked as distinct from others known by 

 the names given to those varieties here, and the Corinthian 

 grape or currant may have thus lost many of the properties of 

 those cultivated in the Grecian Isles, though originally the 

 same. Sowing tlje seeds of cultivated fruits will generally 

 produce new varieties, and out of a very great number it may 

 be found that one or two arc valuable. But there are means 

 by which this end may be attained with much greater accuracy, 

 and by following and modifying them, the creation of new fruits 

 has become a regular and successful pursin't. Considerable 

 attention must be paid to the imrture of ll)e fruit from which 

 the seeds are procured. It should be taken from the healthiest 

 plants, and in the most favourable situations; the nutritive 

 powers of the tree should be fully directed to the devclopenient 

 of the fruit by permittinff only a very few si)ccimens to remain 

 on the plant; and the ripening process should be pcnaiUed to 



