GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



should be protected while in blossom, to guard .them 

 against foreign impregnation ; seeds should be saved only 

 from large, perfect, fine flavored specimens, and the seeds 

 themselves should be plump and mature. Sometimes a 

 good variety is obtained by selecting from beds of seed- 

 lings, such as possess marked evidences of improvement ; 

 vigorous, luxuriant growth, large, heavy foliage, promi- 

 nent buds, and smooth, thornless wood. These characters 

 indicate superiority, but do not always ensure superior 

 fruit. The stock is supposed to exert considerable influ- 

 ence on the seed ; and if this be the case, it would be well 

 to get such varieties as- we wish seeds from, on their own 

 roots, by layering, or grafting on roots in the ground, so 

 that the graft will, itself, strike root. Mr. Knight's mode, 

 of obtaining seedlings of the best varieties, was to prepare 

 stocks from some good sort that would strike from cuttings. 

 These stocks he planted in rich, warm soil, and grafted 

 with the kind he wanted the seeds from. The first season 

 after grafting he took them up, reduced the roots, and 

 planted again. In this way he had them bear fruit in two 

 years. He allowed only a couple of specimens to remain 

 on each tree, and these, consequently, were very large, 

 mature, and every way fine, and from these the seeds 

 were taken. Seedlings may be tested quickly, by bud- 

 ding or grafting them on bearing trees. We may fruit 

 apples and pears in this way in four or five years, whilst 

 ten or fifteen would be necessary on their own roots. 



2. By Division of the Plants. It h;is been remarked, 

 in the article on buds, that every bud is capable, under 

 favorable circumstances, of producing a new individual, 

 similar to that from which it is taken. 



Hence it is, that out of the young annual wood of an 

 apple, pear, peach, or any other fruit tree, we frequently 

 make several hundreds. Every good, well-formed bud, 

 properly separated, and inserted under the bark of the in- 

 dividuals of the same, or a closely allied species, will, in 



