VEGETABLES POTATO. 273 



called into existence. It is a very common error, when 

 a luxuriant crop of anything is seen growing under 

 specially good culture, to imagine that cuttings, roots or 

 grafts from such plants must necessarily give similar 

 results when the same conditions to grow such crops 

 well are not present. Not long ago Boston was famed 

 foy its Rosebuds, and even experienced florists paid 

 double price for stock from such plants, only to find that 

 in their hands these plants would not produce Boston 

 Rosebuds. Now the case is changed. Madison, New 

 Jersey, as a whole, beats Boston in Rose culture, and the 

 demand has changed from Boston to Madison, and, of 

 course, with the same results, for, if the purchasers of 

 Madison Roses cannot give Madison culture, there will 

 be no Madison Rosebuds. While we admit the advan- 

 tage of a healthy stock, and even, perhaps, the value of 

 a change of stock, what I claim is, that no culture will 

 permanently change the variety from its normal condi- 

 tion, and that the only advance that can be made is by 

 selecting the best specimens, hybridizing these from 

 their seed, again selecting, and so on forward. 



To be sure, we have in rare instances what are known 

 to gardeners as " sports," or what Darwin has called 

 "bud variation," which may be improvements on the 

 original variety or the reverse ; but culture, good or bad, 

 has nothing to do with such anomalous cases. 



We often see it asserted as a matter for wonder, 

 that the wild Celery of English marshes, or the wild 

 Carrot of the hedge rows, have attained their present 

 high condition by "cultivation." If cultivation means 

 that man has through generations "selected the 

 fittest" of these again and again, taking always the 

 " flower of the flock," GO as to have attained the present 

 perfection, then that is true ; but if by " cultivation" is 

 meant that te domestication " by high culture, manuring, 

 etc., in a garden or a field has caused such results, then, 

 in my humble opinion, it is not true. 



