32 NEW AMERICAN ORCHARI>IST. 



and color, and soon disappears, and the blossom will soon 

 wither and fade. But when the process has been imper- 

 fect, the reverse of all this is the case ; the pollen is easily 

 detached from the stigma, its appearance is unaltered, and 

 it remains visible with the duration of the flower, which 

 will continue for a long time. 



The fertilized seeds, thus yielded, produce generally 

 flowers which resemble in color, or fruits which inherit 

 mainly the qualities of the kind which furnished the pollen ,- 

 while the form of the flower, or some of the constitutional 

 qualities of the fruit, will resemble those of the plant which 

 matured the seed. 



No cross fertilization can take place between plants or 

 fruits unless nearly related. None, for instance, can take 

 place between the pear, apple, or quince ; or between the 

 plum, peach, or cherry, &c. 



Wild plants or fruits, while growing in their native wilds, 

 are generally perpetuated from generation to generation 

 without change ; but this is not the case with the hybrids 

 or cultivated varieties, however isolated or far removed the 

 tree may be, which produces the seeds, from any other of 

 its species. Transplanted to other soils, the change begins. 



The most intelligent writers have asserted, and it now 

 appears to be admitted as an indisputable fact, that the ori- 

 ginal number of varieties of the apple were very small ; and 

 that the numerous varieties, differing in size, form, and fla- 

 vor, and periods of maturity, originated from the wild apple, 

 or crab, a small and very acid fruit. The pear, from a 

 small and very austere wild fruit, has been in like manner 

 wonderfully ameliorated. Mr. Knight seems persuaded 

 that their fine varieties of native English plums origina- 

 ted from the Sloe plum, a wild and austere, small, black 

 fruit ; or, according to Mr. Neill, from the Bullacc, another 

 wild plum, very small, and acid. The gooseberry, origi- 

 nally a small, indifferent fruit, has, by cultivation, not only 

 highly improved in flavor, but wonderfully in size. The 

 large Dutch red and the large Dutch white currant are 

 highly productive and improved varieties. But the white 

 currant, as Mr. Loudon asserts, is but a variety, produced 

 from the seeds of the red currant. 



Cross fertilization may, indeed, effect important improve- 

 ments, by combining in one object those desirable qual- 

 ities, which may have been previously possessed by two 



