IMPROVING SMALL FRUITS 43 



America has had an important share in recent 

 fruit advancement. When the immigrants came 

 from other countries to America they usually 

 brought with them some of the seeds, cuttings, 

 or roots of their favorite fruits; these were 

 planted and orchards were grown. And in 

 the course of events, when the families began 

 moving westward, they usually selected seeds 

 or more often trees of their best fruits for 

 transplanting. 



In this way a constant and natural selection 

 has been going on from the very first ; the poorer 

 varieties being discarded and forgotten, while 

 those that filled a want and had proved pro- 

 ductive and valuable were cherished. 



After this sifting process of the years, only a 

 very few of the older fruits, in proportion to the 

 number now cultivated, are still considered 

 standard varieties. 



Especially during the last twenty-five years, 

 new varieties of strawberries, raspberries, black- 

 berries, currants, gooseberries, cherries, plums, 

 prunes, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, 

 quinces, figs, and oranges have been produced 

 and are now favorite fruits. 



The older varieties of these fruits are slowty 

 but surely being supplanted by still later 

 productions. 



