Horticulture in the United States. S 



our experience thus far, and in so short a period, has shown 

 what our chmate and soil are capable, under the guidance of 

 art, of doing, and we greatly mistake the energies of our 

 countrymen, if they do not ere long, to a great extent, as in- 

 deed they already have with the apple, render themselves 

 almost independent of foreign accessions to our fruits. Not 

 that we undervalue a choice variety come from where it may, 

 or would neglect it, because of its exotic origin ; but because 

 we believe in the superior characteristics of those of home 

 production, inured as they are to our climate. We see this 

 amply borne out in the strawberry ; for while the Keen's 

 Seedling, the British dueen, and other of the leading kinds 

 of England, — there, all that could be desired, — when grow- 

 ing in our climate cannot withstand our summer heat, 

 or our winter cold ; our native seedlings are affected by 

 neither, but flourish alike under the icy fetters of a Canada 

 winter, or the scorching heat of a southern summer. Such 

 being the fact with regard to this delicious fruit, may we not 

 reasonably suppose a similar effect, though perhaps less in 

 the first generation, will be experienced with our ligneous fruit 

 trees. It is not exactly a question of acclimatization ; for 

 we believe with some English writers, that, without cross im- 

 pregnation with some hardy kinds, no very perceptible differ- 

 ence can be made in the hardiness of tender plants through 

 the seed ; but with those already hardy, or nearly so, we doubt 

 not the progeny may be made hardier, while the same kinds 

 in a mild climate, through successive generations, may be 

 made more tender and less capable of resisting the severity 

 of our climate when brought into it. 



The question regarding the use and benefit to be derived 

 from what l^^ve been termed special manures is daily assum- 

 ing more importance. Like other theories which have had their 

 day, and sunk into oblivion, this, to a certain extent, we think, 

 is likely to share no better fate. We are not opposed to " all 

 theories," as we lately heard a gentleman of well known sci- 

 entific attainments state, in discussing a question of ventila- 

 tion, upon which there are so many opinions, but we are op- 

 posed to the general adoption of theories before they have 



