158 



ICOSANDRIA 



varieties. The species and varieties of Plum, which are 

 cultivated in our gardens, are also quite numerous. The 

 common Apricot, (Prunus Armeniaca,) is commonly supposed 

 to have been a native of Armenia. It is, however, found in 

 its native, or wild state, and in great abundance, on Mount Cau- 

 casus, on the mountains west of Pekin, and on the island of 

 Japan. There are fifteen or twenty excellent varieties of 

 this fruit. These trees do well when budded on Plum stocks, 

 which indeed is the common method of raising this fruit. 



ORDER II. DI-PENTAG\NIA. Stamens many, perigynous. 

 Styles 2 to 5. 



The compound name of this order is from the Greek, and 

 signifies two-five styles. Any flower, therefore, having twenty 

 or more perigynous stamens, and two, three, four, or five 

 styles, belongs to this class and order. 



GENUS Pyrus. Apple. Pear. The generic name is said 

 to come from the Celtic, perea, from which the Latins derived 

 their word pyrus. Our name, Apple, comes from the Greek, 

 apios. The genus Pyrus is characterized by a calyx, five 

 cleft, superior ; corolla five petaled ; stamens many ; styles 

 five; pome five celled, and many seeded. There are few 

 genera of fruits which are so changed by cultivation, or which 

 so richly reward the *care of the gardener, as this. The 

 truth is, that the best kinds, save the trouble of engrafting, are 

 much more easily grown in quantity, than the poorest, be- 

 cause the trees are much more productive. The species of 

 Apples and Pears are not very numerous, but the varieties of 

 each are innumerable. Of the Pear, the Romans are said to 

 have had thirty-six varieties only. Probably our method 

 of producing new varieties was then unknown. We have 

 stated in another place, that the seeds of this genus, from the 

 same tree, or even from the same fruit, when planted, pro- 

 duce varieties different from that of the parent. In France, 

 two gentlemen made an experiment on this subject, by suffer- 

 ing nearly 8000 Pear trees, which had come from the seed, 

 to bear fruit, and from among which they obtained nearly 800 

 new varieties, that were worth cultivating. Dwarf trees, arid 



What is meant by Di-Pentagynia, and what description of plants belong 

 to this class and order ? How is the genus Pyrus characterized ? How 

 many varieties of the Pyrus are the Romans said to have had ? In what 

 manner are new varieties of this genus said to have been produced in 

 France ? 



