456 THE EVOLUTION OF OUR NATIVE FRUITS 



these specific illustrations of the origins of varieties 

 are fairly typical for all native fruits. Most of the 

 forms are random or chance discoveries, and they show 

 that the natural tendency towards progressive variation 

 in the indigenous fruit -species must be great, else the 

 domesticated forms could not have reached their present 

 state. If so much has been done by mere chance, — so 

 far as the horticulturist is concerned, — there is certainly 

 reason for believing that the rewards of plant -breeding 

 must some day be great. 



What Probably Should be Done 



What has been done need not be done over again. 

 That is, the best results at the amelioration of any 

 species are to be expected by working with the highly 

 improved forms rather than with the original wild 

 stock. The quickest response to the plant -breeder is 

 to be expected in those species which are already most 

 ameliorated, and it is in these species, also, that the 

 greatest efforts are needed, because they are the species 

 which have the most useful qualities for man. One 

 cannot specify how the native fruits may be improved 

 without going into the whole subject of the ameliora- 

 tion of plants (a discussion of which I have already 

 made in my " Plant- Breeding" ) ; but it may lie use- 

 ful to designate some of the things which seem to 

 need to be done. 



In the first place, we need more varieties of every 

 native fruit now cultivated — of grapes, raspberries, 



plums, cranberries, ami the others. This is because 

 new needs ;ire always arising and the fruits are being 

 grown in new regions, and new varieties are needed 



