ABOUT FRUITS, FLOWERS AKD PAEMING. 229 



not long after, was dictated ; but signed by his tremulous 

 hand in letters which speak of death), lie says, '"'• Pears hear 

 as soon as apples of the same age ; on the quince much 

 sooner," etc. 



It appears, then, that while cultivation accelerates the 

 period of fruit-bearing and perfects the fniit, it is also 

 accompanied with premature age and liability to diseases. 

 we do not wish to be understood as opposing the habit of 

 cultivating fruit, or as prejudiced against grafted varieties 

 — we are neither opposed to the one nor to the other. But 

 we would deduce from facts, some conclusions which will 

 enable us to perfect our fruits by a more discriminating 

 treatment. 



The question will arise, Is it only by accident that liability 

 to disease increases, with increase of cultivation ? Is there 

 an inherent objection in all artificial treatment ? or is there 

 objection only to particular methods of artificial cultiva- 

 tion? 



Although there may be too many exceptions, to allow of 

 our saying, that quickly-growing timber is not durable, it 

 may be said in respect to trees of the same species, that the 

 durability of the timber depends (among other things) on 

 the slowness of its growth. Mountain timber is usually 

 tougher and more lasting than champaign wood; timber 

 growing in the great alluvial valleys of the West, is noto- 

 riously more perishable than that grown in the parsimonious 

 soils of the North and East. 



The reason does not seem obscure. In a rich soil, and 

 nnder an ardent sun, not only is the growth of trees greater 

 in any given season, than in a poor soil, but the growth is 

 coarser and the grain coai'ser. But what is a coarse growth, 

 and what is fine-grained, or coarse-grained timber ? — timber 

 in.which the vascular system h:is been greatly distended, in 

 which sap-vessels and air-cells are large and coarse. Where 

 wood is formed with great rapidity and with a super 

 abim dance of sap, not only will there be large ducts and 



