

SECTION I. 



SOWING SELECTED SEEDS. 



THE laws regulating this mode of reproduc- 

 tion are not well understood. Of a thousand 

 apple-trees raised from seeds of some fine va- 

 riety say the Baldwin and grown to a fruit- 

 bearing age, probably not one would show a 

 fruit equal to the original ; and while the num- 

 ber of varieties thus produced might equal the 

 w.hole number of the trees, perhaps not three 

 out of the whole would be found worthy of 

 cultivation. Some of the trees would bear 

 small fruit, others large ; some fair, some 

 knurly; some sweet, others subacid, sour or 

 bitter; some would ripen their fruit early, 

 others would retain theirs until the frosts and 

 winds of Autumn should scatter them upon 

 the ground. Little therefore can be hoped 

 from this chance sowing of selected seeds. 

 Other circumstances must govern the choica 

 of seeds, beside the mere qualities of the fruit 

 from which they may be taken. 



