38 



PRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES. 



being actually at the eighth generation, has in- 

 formed me that he has obtained several pear trees 

 which fruited at the age of four years"* When 

 his seedlings were at the age of three or four years, 

 he was able to judge of their appearances, though 

 they had not as yet borne ; such only were taken 

 for further trial, as exhibited the strongest proba- 

 bility of excellence. It is hardly necessary to re- 

 mark that in all these trials, the young trees were 

 kept in the highest state of cultivation. 



Van Mons maintained that by planting the seeds 

 of the first crop, the product would be less liable to 

 run back to the original variety, than where the 

 seeds were taken from a crop produced on an old 

 bearing tree ; and to this practice he chiefly ascrib- 

 ed his success. 



CROSSING THE SORTS. 



The production of new varieties is greatly facili- 

 tated by cross-impregnation, or by intermixing the 

 pollen and stigma of two varieties, for the purpose 

 of procuring something of an intermediate nature. 

 This was performed with great success by Knight. 

 Selecting two varieties for operation, while yet 

 early in flower, and before the anthers had burst 

 and discharged the pollen, he cut out with a fine 

 pair of scissors all the stamens, leaving the stigma 

 untouched. When the stigma became mature, he 



* Poiteau. 



