348 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



they ni.ny be in fonn. color, .ind otluT characters, they 

 have originally lieen <ierive(l from some wild species in 

 nature ; but, departures once established, no end of other 

 kinds MKiy be i)ro(hiced throiifih artificial selection and 

 other means. Our domesticated animals are in the same 

 case, as, for example, all the various species of fowls, 

 cattle, horses. <lofjs, pips and the rest. 



"It is interesting to compare the hyacinths of 1629 

 with those of 1SG4," says Paul, "and to mark the im- 

 provement. Two hundred and twenty-five years have 

 elapsed since then, and this simple flower serves well to 

 illustrate the preat fact that the original forms of nature 

 do not remain fixed and stationary at least when 

 brought under cultivation. While looking at the ex- 

 tremes, we must not forget that there are intermediate 

 stages which are for the most part lost to us. Nature 

 will sometimes indulge herself with a leap, but as a rule 

 her march is slow and gradual." To this great truth 

 he adds that the cultivator should have "in his mind an 

 ideal of beauty, for the realization of which he works with 

 head and hand." 



In studying the question of the derivation of garden 



I'KTAI.S CROWDED TOGETHER 



lii;. I. Many admire this type of rose; its dark green leaves and 

 paic pink prtals arc unusually attractive. It required a long 

 time aiul ikillul sclirtivc crossing to obtain such a result as this. 

 Its remote anrcstor being the common wild rose. 



GARDEN ROSE RICH IN PETALS 



Fig. 3. When the number of petals is very great, they usually 

 shut out of sight all of the central and very essential struc- 

 tures of the flower, so plainly in view in Figure 2. 



flowers from wild species, and employing species of flow- 

 ers selected from the flora of this country as examples 

 in our demonstrations, it must -be remembered that a 

 great number of those now flourishing here in nature 

 originally came from other parts of the world, more par- 

 ticularly from Europe and Asia. Owing to diflFerences 

 in soils and climate, many of these have undergone con- 

 siderable change with respect to form, color, and pro- 

 jiortions ; so that, in producing new species from them, 

 these are often quite difTerent from those obtained by the 

 Old World horticulturist. Furthermore, we must remem- 

 ber that in the case of the escapes of garden flowers to 

 the woods and fields, however much these may have 

 changed under cultivation, there is always a strong ten- 

 dency to revert to the wild form. The time in which 

 they accomplish this varies in different flowers ; and it 

 also varies in the matter of extent, though in most cases 

 it is quite perfect. As a rule, it requires several genera- 

 tions, flowering through as many seasons, to accomplish 

 these reversions, and it is an extremely interesting thing 

 to observe iti any particular flower. Often some variety 

 of rose will furnish an excellent example of it; indeed, 

 to illustrate this particular phenomenon in flowers in 



