Cultivated Plants 



sake of man, have yielded to our care and, 

 by cultivation, have acquired properties of 

 the greatest importance, since they provide 

 our food. But the improvement obtained is 

 not so radical that we can rely on its per- 

 manence if our care is relaxed. The plant 

 has always a tendency to return to its original 

 condition. If the gardener leaves the cab- 

 bage to itself, without manure, water, or 

 cultivation ; if he allows the seeds to germin- 

 ate by chance wherever the wind carries 

 them, the cabbage will soon lose its close 

 head of white leaves, and resume the loose 

 green leaves of its wild ancestors. The vine, 

 deprived of the care of man, will revert to 

 the wild vine of the hedge, a whole bunch 

 of which is not equal to one berry of the cul- 

 tivated grape ; the pear tree on the edge of 

 the wood will resume its long thorns and 

 nasty little fruit ; the plum tree and the 

 cherry will contract their fruit to kernels 

 covered by a sour skin — in a word, our 

 orchards will lose their wealth and all their 

 value to us. 



This return to the wild state will take 

 place despite all our care if we attempt to 

 reproduce the plant from seed. We may sow 

 the pips taken from a very good pear, and 



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