550 Teaxsactions of tue American Institute. 



cause to sneer. Kow I saj that if there is a mode of produciug 

 apples of the kind described it is a very great advantage. It is an 

 important circumstance that this bears uniformly when others do not. 

 I certainly should like to have our ordinary varieties manifest these 

 characteristics. I apprehend that when our friend says no blossoms, 

 he means that the blossoms are, as compared with those of other trees, 

 very small and peculiar. Unless gentlemen can argue the seal off 

 tlie bond, the fact is established in my mind that apples will grow 

 without seeds. 



Mr. A. S. Fuller. — I hope some of these specimens will be for- 

 warded to Charles Downing, and I have no doubt the next spring he 

 will take the trouble to go and see the tree. I have heard of seedless 

 apples being produced in the way explained by Mr. Greeley. I am 

 satisfied that these apples are seedless, though there may have been 

 in the tree some freak of nature which we do not understand. I 

 don't see the necessity, according to vegetable physiology, that fruit 

 should have flowers, but there certainly is necessity of producing 

 seed to propagate the species. 



Mr. J. W. G-regory. — The disposition of all plants prepared and 

 continued by roots, cuttings, eyes, grafting and budding seem to have 

 to tend toward becoming seedless, or impotent to reproduce by blos- 

 som and seed-bearing, as by a course of habit. Take for instance the 

 common potato, dahlia, ramie (Boehmeria Tennacissima), and south- 

 ern sugar cane. These have mostly reached a sterile condition, 

 perhaps chiefly from this habit of continuing ; " like " in this does 

 not exactly beget like, but has a general if not an exact resemblance 

 to the parent, whereas, from seed, the fruits generally widely difter, 

 and except when hybrids, and care is used a small per centage only is 

 equal to the parent. 



Mr. P. T. Qninn. — If tlie law of Avhich Mr. Greeley speaks pro- 

 duces apples without seeds it dues not operate with other fruits. For 

 instance, I inverted some current cuttings and no change was noted 

 in the returns. 



Mr. Horace Greeley. — I "do not say or think it may be so in all 

 cases, but I do say and think that if what our friend writes be true, 

 it is of great]importance to find out how we can make the principle 

 generally apply. My apples are generally, a good pai't of them at 

 least, destroyed in the blossom. I hope some investigations will bo 

 made. 



The Chairman. — I consider the sul)jcct of sufiicient iniportiuice for 



