Jan. 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



13 



Kature pays so little regard to some of the 

 hy laws, and hotaniad rules wt' liuvc prescribed 

 for Iier in our books! And wlio aliall say 

 tlirongh means of artilieiul liybridizing wliat 

 is to be tlie mission of tlie Siberian apjile ? 

 May not new liyljrids be originated liaviug 

 mainly the barely cliaracteristics of the tree 

 of the one parent, and the fruit of the other? 

 And thus, may not the cultivation of our 

 apple be carried up our mountain slopes, and 

 be}-ond the line of British America. On this 

 subject of hybridizing, there is an interesting 

 field of inquiry of wliich we are yet almost 

 entirely ignorant. It rests with us to make 

 an advance in this direction, or leave it 

 wholly for those wlio shall come after us. 



"While tree and fruit culture have extended 

 greatly in the last decade of years, and we 

 have learned much of practical cultivation, 

 yet it nuist be confessed we have not made 

 equal progress in the improvement of 

 varieties, except, perhaps, with the Orape. 



It is true that some varieties of berries have 

 made their advent imder fanciful names, and 

 the use of much paper and ink. But in most 

 cases, after the sale of the first plants, under 

 the puff of ndvertisements, they are scarcely 

 heard of 



With that most desirable fruit the Cherry, 

 we have made no advance, since the labors 

 of Prof Kirtlaiid. The lonely Early Rich- 

 mond (or to please some of our friends, we 

 ■should perhaps call it Early May) holds en- 

 tire monopoly in our "Western markets. "We 

 would not discourage those who are experi- 

 menting with seedlings from this variety ; it 

 is an ciiterprise from which we maj' hope for 

 good results. But I would .solicit attention 

 to the more certain means of li}'bridizing 

 with the Dukes. 



The subject of the influence of dissimilar 

 stock on fruitfulness, is one that demands 

 more close attention. We already under- 

 stand that circulation may be retarded by a 

 dissimilarity of stock. And, that whatever 

 retards circulation, increases the formation 

 of fruit buds. It seems nearly conceded that 

 the Early Richmond is more productive on 

 the Morello stocks ; and, that several varie- 

 ties of apple have shown more tendency to 

 jiroductiveucss when budded or stock grafted. 

 Some recent experiments seem to indicate 

 that several varieties of the sweet cherries 

 will succeed with us when worked on the 

 Early Richmond as a stock. This subject 

 should receive more attention; also that of 

 working some of our most desirable apples, 

 that are shy bearers, on some of the Russian 

 varieties, or on Siberian stocks. "With a 

 laudable ambition W'e Iiave jiroved ourselves 

 able to supply our markets witli fruit ; let us 

 next devise the means to supply a hetter 

 quality. 



Another subject to which it is thought 

 proper to invite your attention, is that of 

 some action to guard against the introduction 

 and spread of "the Canada thistle, and other 

 noxious weeds fnmi the older States. This 

 subject legitimately claims the attention of 

 this society ; for the means by which we are 

 in the greatest danger of the Canada thistle 

 being introduced into western soil, is in the 

 packing of tlie nursery stock, shipjied from 

 the East. This has already occurred in some 

 instances. I submit to you, to take such 

 action as in your judgment may be thought 

 most efficient to check, or prevent this 

 dreadful pest. It may be advis;ib!e to 

 appoint a special committee to communicate 

 with the Secretaries of County Agricultural 

 Societies and other persons in different coun- 

 ties of our State, to ascertain to what extent 

 this this thi.stle is already introduced, and 

 to solicit the action of Agricultural Societies 

 to take steps to eradicate or check the evil. 



Our society has not been delinquent in its 

 duties in making repeated etlbrts to admon- 

 ish the public against imixisition. In these 

 efforts it is to be regretted, that we have so 



little reason to be gratified with our success. 

 The evils and imposture that are but natural 

 consequences of the prevailing system by 

 which trees and plants are disseminated over 

 the country are apparent to all. But the ex- 

 istence of these evils is in a measure due to 

 the fact that a considerable portion of our 

 western jieoiile have a morbid craving for 

 imposture. With that class of individuals, 

 horticultural .societies can adopt no means to 

 fortify their credulitj^ But for the sake of 

 those who seek information, let us continue 

 to disseminate such ecution as may place the 

 public on their guard against all manner of 

 imposition. Let us continue to be guarded 

 against any action by which we will become 

 accessory to any speculation scheme. 



Your attention is invited to the subject of 

 dividing the State into Fruit Districts, as 

 jiroposed by our Secretarj' in the printed 

 circular calling this meeting. In the pro- 

 posed division into seven Fruit Districts, it 

 is the object to take into consideration tlif- 

 ference of latitude, temperature, rain falls, 

 geology and topographiail configuration. 



It is .submitted to your judgment, whether 

 this or a similar division wiU not be better 

 adapted to a successful management of our 

 society, with tlie view of electing vice presi- 

 dents and other officers with regard to the 

 Fruit Districts. 



But before closing this address, it becomes 

 my duty to drop a tribute to the memory of 

 a departed brother. One whose loss we 

 shall deeply feel ! One who, by earnest 

 application, had advanced to high scientific 

 attainments in a department of knowledge 

 of the highest importance to liorticultui'e ! 

 One who, from the genial worth of his scnil, 

 held a place in all our hearts! By a sad 

 casualty, our State Entomologist. Dr. B. D. 

 Walsh, has been taken from us! He died on 

 the 18th of November. 



Window Plants. — I have been considered 

 to have success with my window plants, and 

 without presuming that my way is much 

 better than other people's, do think my 

 plants are as good as any of my acquaintan- 

 ces. I thought I would say that I think 

 your directions very good about not having 

 too much fire heat in the room where the 

 ])lants are kept, as I have found it to work 

 to the injury of the plants. I try to let them 

 liave as much sun as I can give them, and 

 sprinkle them at times to keep the dust 

 ofl", and the insects down. But there is one 

 thing I do which you have said nothing 

 about, but which I think has much to do 

 with my success, namely, I never water my 

 plants with anything but lukewarm water. 

 I most always have a pitcher full of water 

 standing in the sun by the window to get 

 warm before using it ; but if I should want 

 to water my plants before I have my water 

 warmed in the sun, I pour in a little from 

 the tea-kettle, just to take the chill off of it. 

 Though I have no fire in my ro<nn, my 

 plants keep growing all winter, and China 

 Primroses and Scarlet Geraniums, and some 

 others, bloom well before winter is over. If 

 I have any fear of frost injuring my plants, 

 I take them entirely away from the window, 

 and place them on the floor, covering them 

 with muslin, and keep the shutters closed 

 as much as possible. I have not got to take 

 this trouble often, perhaps only half a dozen 

 tiini-s during the winter. If my experience 

 will be of Use to your paper, you may pub- 

 lish my account of" it. — B. W. B., in Oardcncr 

 Montlily. 



Nature in Horticulture. 

 At a late meeting of the Alton, 111. Horti- 

 cultural Society, Hon. W. C. Flagg read an 

 essay on Nature in Horticulture, from which 

 we make the following extracts : 



"We hear much loose talk in horticultural 

 matters about " following nature." One 

 man proposes to follow nature by omitting 

 cultivation ; another by abolishing pruning ; 

 another by mulching, and so on; justifjing 

 some very diverse and curious practice by 

 that ambiguous expression. 



In this essay I wish to call attention to 

 one or two propositions, qualifying, and 

 taking exception to this mode of thought 

 and practice. 



I. In horticulture w^e do not seek the 

 conditions nor the results of nature. Instead 

 of scattered trees growing irregularly, we 

 want great masses regularly planted, for 

 convenience in cultivation. Instead of vig- 

 orous trees, we want fruitful trees ; and in 

 place of the small and acid fruit of the fields 

 and forests, we desire the large and luscious 

 monstrosities of the garden and orchard. 

 " It is evident," Siiys Dr. Warner, in his work 

 upon apples, " that very often the conditions 

 of a plant and its products, which we most 

 highly prize, and towards which all our 

 eflbrts in its culture are directed, are really 

 departures from the natural and healthy 

 statas ; or in other words, what we covet, is 

 really a state of diseased and almormal ac- 

 tion." 



II. Hence, it is evident that we cannot 

 say we " follow nature " in horticulture ex- 

 cept in this sense : that we must know the 

 laws of nature, and obey or violate them 

 acording to the object to be accomplished. 

 In propagation, we learn to observe the law 

 of relationship in grafting the apple upon 

 the apple, and not upon the pear; and again 

 to violate it in grafting the pear upon the 

 quince, in order to threaten life, which tends 

 to fruitfulness. In transplantation, we learn 

 that fibrous-rooted plants recover themselves 

 most easily, and seek by frequent removals 

 to induce roots of that character for the 

 benefit of the tree in its final and permanent 

 planting in the orchard. In cultivation we 

 stimulate an excessive growth to obtain early 

 maturity; and in pruning, we sometimes 

 endeavor to induce stronger growth of wood ; 

 or again to threaten life and Induce the for- 

 menUation of fruit buds. 



These illu.strations might be continued at 

 great length; but perhaps I have given 

 enough to show that the art of horticulture 

 is the wise application of natural sciences, 

 and hardly, in any sense an imitation of the 

 prodigal and costly methods of nature. Na- 

 ture is extravagant; as in view of her large 

 landed possessions, she ran afford to be. She 

 can devote several rods of ground to growing 

 an inferior and sour crab apple tree, such as 

 we read in " John Brown." But the thrifty 

 fruit grower on his forty and eighty acres of 

 land must husband his sjiace and make every 

 rod blcssom and fruit. His art must " mend 

 nature." Nature don't care whether she gets 

 a crop or not. She has no debts to pay with 

 the expected fruit. But the horticulturist 

 has "his young barbarians at their play," 

 whose natures, at some expense, he hopes to 

 train and rear into something higher and 

 nobler; and this and food and raiment make 

 profits needful, and, as all men should, he 

 must produce or create these profits by 

 yearly care and toil. 



