120 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



1871 



untold numbers of both plants and animals made 

 their exit; although at the same time during the 

 onward flow of events the conditions necessary to 

 the existence of such plants as then luxuriated, be- 

 came greatly changed— changed it might have been 

 by the lowering of temperature, terrestrial and at- 

 mospheric, and likewise by the withdrawal of car- 

 bon from the atmosphere, thereby unfitting it for 

 the support of those unique forms which graced the 

 jungles and suppressed slopes of the carboniferous 

 age. 



What has been said in reference to this particular 

 period applies with equal force to those succeeding, 

 down to past-tertiary times, and therefore the won- 

 der need not be that so many species have ceased to 

 exist, as that so many have been preserved. 



And so, we think, no apt illustration can be drawn 

 from what took place during those times as to the 

 continuance of existing species. These, so far as 

 can be known, exhibit no greater signs of extiu- 

 guishment than does man himself. But when wc 

 come to varieties obtained by artificial crossing and 

 culture, the case may be somewhat different ; not 

 so much in reference to their durability as individ- 

 iTals, as in the permanency of those traits which 

 distinguish them for use, or for show. In some in- 

 stances the tendency may be in the direction of pro- 

 genitors less distinguished than themselves, al- 

 though more perfect as natural productions. The 

 evidence is not very clear however that this even 

 ever takes place to any appreciable extent, provi- 

 ded they continue to be cared for as the nurslings 

 of men. Indeed, " there seems no known law fixed 

 to determine the length of time which any single 

 species or any single variety endures." 



Some men will have it that the varieties of culti- 

 vated fruits and flowers are constructed somewhat 

 on the plan of a clock, every pin and wheel, and 

 tooth of which becomes the worse for the wear, 

 and after serving its day is fit only for destruction, 

 or the lumber room. But a clock can not be re-pro- 

 duced b}' bud and scion as a plant can, therefore 

 this power, for aught we know, may continue it in 

 youthful vigor so long as the conditions under 

 which it was produced are maintained. 



We have often met with statements tending to 

 show that this or the other variety of fruit or flow- 

 er hath lost some of those characteristics for which 

 it was once distinguished. Now it is an apple or a 

 pear in a given district that has become worthless; 

 or a rose — such as the fine old Duchess of Suther- 

 land, H. P., which blooms not as she was wont 

 when fresh with the dews of youth. Well, even 

 admiting this to be true it does not necessarily fol- 

 low that varieties reputed to be on the downward 

 track exhibit such symptoms, wide as they are cul- 

 tivated. If they do not, deterioration or degenera- 

 cy must jjroceed from some cause or causes local on- 



ly in their range, and therefore not inseparable 



from the individuals so affected. 



For a goodly number of years I have endeavored 

 to make out how much truth there is in opinions, 

 such as we have stated, but have been able to make 

 so little of it, that for all practical purposes the 

 question may be laid aside as not sufficient to unset- 

 tle the resolve to seek by all intelligent means the 

 highest attainable perfection in all garden produc- 

 tions. At the same time there are limits be- 

 yond which this cannot be carried, there are limits 

 too, it would not be desirable to pass ; and I some- 

 times think there is adisplay of bad taste and worse 

 judgment in striving after imaginary varieties of 

 fruits and flowers whilst so many meritorious indi- 

 viduals suffer from neglect or maltreatment. But 

 whatever steps may be taken in the direction of 

 amelioration, or in obtaining new varieties, no real 

 advantage can be gained for any country, or sec- 

 tion of country, unless species or varieties are se- 

 lected to grow and propagate from of sufficient 

 hardihood, not only to endure but to flourish in 

 the climate. 



Whatever may be the ultimate result of such en- 

 deavors cannot now very clearly be seen, but we 

 believe nevertheless delicious fruits and fragrant 

 flowers will continue to gladden the men and wo- 

 men of the coming centuries as they have done 

 those of the past. But whether or not any of the 

 varieties known to us will go down to a late poster- 

 ity I cannot tell — they may, for anything which 

 now appears, if not superseded by others held in 

 greater esteem. 



Hardiness of tUe TVild Goose Plum. 



Ed. PoMOLOGiST: In the April No. of the Po- 

 MOLOGiST, " Quercus" asks me the question whether 

 the AVild Goose Plum is as hardy as the Miner. I 

 will say that I have had but one year's experience 

 with the Wild Goose, and therefore cannot say pos- 

 itively in regard to its hardiness, but from the way 

 it came through the last winter, I am of the opin- 

 ion that it will prove hardy enough to beir a crop 

 of fruit, say four out of five seasons. At least, it 

 wintered much better than the Lombard by its side. 

 I will say right here that the last winter has shaken 

 my fiith considerably in the hardiness of the Lom- 

 bard. My Wild Goose trees were set in the spring 

 of 1870, and the wet, late, warm fall caused them to 

 grow so late that the wood was not well ripened up 

 for winter ; consequently, I do not think the last 

 winter a fair test of the hardiness of the Wild 

 Goose, at least on my grounds. I do not think it 

 will prove as hardy as the Miner, and in fact, I 

 know of no plum that does. H. A. Terrt. 



Crescent City, Iowa, May, 1871, 



