IX . 



GENERAL REMARKS ON THE IMPROVEMENT 

 OF OUR NATIVE FRUITS* 



HAVING thus seen what has actually been accom- 

 plished in the amelioration of fruits which are native 

 to this country, we may now take a general survey of 

 the status of the subject and of the means by which 

 the evolution has been accomplished. 



The chief reason for supposing that the native 

 fruits should be domesticated seems to be the most 

 obvious fact that they have merit in themselves ; and 

 yet, paradoxical as it may seem, I imagine that this 

 is not sufficient reason to recommend their ameliora- 

 tion. It is not the thing which is intrinsically the 

 best which necessarily deserves the most attention, 

 but the thing which is most needed. We shall find 

 our most helpful suggestions from a reflection on what 

 has been accomplished and how it has been done, 

 rather than from a mere objective study of the kinds 

 of our wild fruits. I propose, therefore, to divide this 

 essay into two parts, what has been done, and 

 what probably should be done. 



What Has Been Done 



The most obvious truth which strikes one when he 

 attempts to make a reflective or historical study of 



* Reprint, with minor modifications, of a paper contributed by the author 

 to the Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture for 1896. 



(448) 



