20 



that there should be no contamination from 

 other breeds, they should be allowed to bear 

 their fruit upon their own roots. 



From these trees select seeds as before, 

 plant, prune and re-select seeds, and so on, 

 until in about the fifth generation for pears, 

 the fourth for apples, and the third or second 

 for stone fruits and other shorter lived species ; 

 the seedlings will nearly all become of great 

 excellence. The point of perfectioh once at- 

 tained, a further continuance of the process 

 will result in a retrograde movement toward 

 the original wild state of the plant. 



This theory seems to be founded in reason, 

 although facts stubborn and numerous exist 

 in opposition to it. Indeed, the principles 

 which govern the reproduction of plants from 

 the seed, are still very imperfectly understood. 



It will easily occur to the reader, that acci- 

 dental causes have placed within reach of the 

 American cultivator abundant materials in all 

 stages of progress for the mode of reproduc- 

 tion which originated with Van Mons. 



We come now to the far more certain, direct 

 and scientific mode of originating fruits. 



