April 21, 1S63.] 



JOVXSAL OF HOEIICULIUBE A>"D COTTAGE GABDE>"EE. 



297 



taker ; but does it follow that every exhibitor is a mere prizetaker ? 

 What I have experienced in the way of exhibiting has been only 

 as a subordinate — that is, I have merely assisted in growing the 

 plants, taking them to the shows, ic. ; and it is nearly a dozen 

 years ago since I had anything to do with shows, so that I 

 cannot conscientiously hare much to say concerning them. I 

 hare formed opinions averse to showing, because I have known 

 those who have made it a profitable trade and who regarded 

 their plants merely as objects for obtaining prize-money, and 

 who would deny that any plants were worth growing for which 

 prizes were not offered. But then it is not fair to assume that 

 these are the views of all but a very small proportion of exhibitors. 

 I believe that in the majority of cases it i9 from a laudable 

 desire to show what can be done by perseverance and knowledge ; 

 and that while some real and tangible momentum is given as 

 acknowledgment of various degrees of excellence, by far the 

 most gratifying result is the fame thus obtained. 



Apart from the motives that actuate exhibitors, it is un- 

 questionable that horticultural shows have done more than any- 

 thing else to brirg gardening to its present high position. 

 They have given rise to competition, aud stimulated men to 

 endeavour to excel each orher in producing specimens of superior 

 skill in that useful and decorative art which is ever progressive. 

 — F. Chtcty. 



THE YA2T MO^S 1HEOEY OF EEni-EAISLXG. 



EXPERntKSIS UT TTT.TXOIS. 



The following facts have been elicited from correspondence 

 with H. P. Brayshaw, of DuQuoin, Illinois. The experiments 

 were instituted by his father many years ago to test the truth of 

 the so-called Tan if ons theory of the improvement of fruits by 

 using only the first seeds. 



Sir. Brayshaw quotes from memory chiefly, having kept no 

 record. Thirty-five years ag?, in 1S27, his father procured 

 twenty-five seedling trees from a nursery, which may be supposed 

 to have been an average lot grown from promiscuous seed. 

 These were planted, and when they came into bearing, six of 

 them furnished fruit that might be called " good,'' and of these 

 '■ four were considered fine." One of the six is still in cultiva- 

 tion, and known as the Illinois Greening. Of the remainder of 

 the trees, some of the fruits were fair, and the rest were worth- 

 less, and have disappeared. 



Second Generation. — The first fruits of these trees were se- 

 lected, and the seeds were sown. Of the resulting crop, some 

 furnished fruit that was " good, 1 ' but they do not appear to have 

 merited much attention. 



Third Generation. — From first seeds of the above one hundred 

 trees were produced, some of which were good fruit, and some 

 "even fine," while some were very poor, "four or five only 

 merited attention." So that we Eee there was a retrogression 

 from the random seedlings, furnishing 25 per ceut. of good fruit, 

 to -i or 5 per cent, in the third generation that were worthy of 

 note. 



Fourth Generation. — A crop of first seed was again sown, 

 producing a fourth generation ; of these many were " good 

 culinary fruits," none, or "very few being of the poorest class of 

 seedlings;" none of them, however, were fine enough "for the 

 dessert." 



Fifth Generation. — This crop of seedlings was destroyed hx 

 the cut-worms, so that only one tree now remains, but it has not 

 yet fruited. But Mr. Brayshaw appears to feel hopeful of the 

 results, and promises to continue the experiment. 



Second crops have also been sown from some of these trees, 

 hut a smaller proportion of the seedlings thus produced were 

 good fruits than when the first seeds were used — this Mr. Bray- 

 shaw considers confirmatory evidence of the theory, though he 

 appears to feel confidence in the varieties already in use, most of 

 "which have had almost an accidental origin. 



He thinks the result would have been more successful had the 

 blossoms been protected fro:n impregnation by other trees, and 

 recommends that those to be experimented with should be 

 planted at a distance from orchards so as to avoid this cross- 

 breeding, and to allow of what is called breeding in-and-in. If 

 this were done he feels confident that " the seedlings would more 

 nearly resemble the parent, and to a certain extent would 

 manifest the tendency to improvement ; and that from the 

 earliest-ripened fruits, some earlier varieties would be produced ; 

 from those latest ripening, later varieties ; from those that were 



inferior and insipid poor sorts would spring ; and that from the 

 very best and most perfect fruits we might expect one in one 

 thousand, or one-tenth of 1 per cent, to be better than the 

 parent." This diminishes our chances for improvement to a 

 beautifully fine point upon which to hang our hopes of the 

 result of many generations of seedlings occupying more than a 

 lifetime of experiments. 



Mr. Brayshaw, citing some of the generally adopted axioms of 

 breeders of animals, assumes that crosses as of distinct races will 

 not be so likely to produce good results as a system of breeding 

 in-and-in persistently carried out. This plan he reco mm ends, 

 and alludes to the Quince and Mulberry as suitable species to 

 operate upon, because in them there are finer varieties, and 

 therefore less liability to cross-breeding, and a better oportunity 

 for breeding in-and-in. He also reminds us of the happy results 

 which follow the careful selection of the best specimens in garden 

 flowers and vegetables, combined with the rejection of all inferior 

 plants, when we desire to improve the character of our garden 

 products ; and he adopts the views of certain physiologists, which, 

 however, are questioned by other authorities to the effect that 

 violent or decided crosses are always followed by depreciation 

 and deterioration in the offspring. 



The whole communication referring to these experiments, 

 which are almost the only ones, so far as I know, which have 

 been conduced in this country to any extent to verify or con- 

 trovert the Van Mons theory, is very interesting ; but it is easy 

 to perceive that the writer, though apparently very fair and 

 entirely honest, has been fully imbued with the truth and 

 correctness of the proposition of Tan Mons, that the first ripened 

 seed of a natural plant was more likely to produce an improved 

 variety, and that this tendency to improvement would ever 

 increase and be most prominent in the first ripened seeds of 

 successive generations grown from it. 



The theory of Tan Mons I shall not attempt in this place to 

 controvert, but will simply say that nothing which has yet come 

 under mv observation has had a tendency to make me a convert 

 to the avowed views of that great Belgian pomologist ; while, on 

 the contrary, the rumours of his opponents, that he was really 

 attempting to produce crosses from some of the best fruits, as 

 our gardeners have most successfully done in numerous instances 

 in the beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables of modern horti- 

 culture, have always impressed me with a colour of probability, 

 and if he were not actually and intentionally impregnating the 

 blossoms with pollen of the better varieties, natural causes, such 

 as the moving currents of air, and the ever active insects, whose 

 special function in many instances appears to be the conveyance 

 of pollen, would necessarily cause an admixture, which in a pro- 

 miscuous collection, like the " school of Tan Mons," would at 

 least have an equal chance of producing an improvement in 

 some of the resulting seeds. 



The whole subject of variation in species, the existence of 

 varieties, and also of sports which may perhaps be considered as 

 still more temporary variations from the originals than those 

 which come through the seeds, is one of deep interest, well 

 worthy of our study, but concerning which we must confess 

 ourselves as yet quite ignorant ; and our best botanists do not 

 agree even as to the specific distinctions that have been set-up as 

 characters of some of our familiar plants, the most eminent 

 authors differing with regard to the species of some of our most 

 familiar genera of trees and plants. — From a paper by Dr. J. A. 

 Warder, read before the St. Louis Horticultural Society. — 

 {Frairie Farmer.) 



DISTRESSED LANCASHIRE WOBEINGMEN 

 BOTANISTS. 



Alxow me to thank your numerous readers for their kindness 

 in sending me the means to help some of England's worthiest 

 sons and daughters, in spite of the bad name we have through 

 the late unfortunate riots. 



I am happy to say that the older operatives were thoroughly 

 disgusted with the hubbub that was kicked up by some foolish 

 lads and lasses ; yet owing to those riots I never expected to 

 receive another penny for my little flock. 



I am happy to say, however, that the kind-hearted Lady 

 Kevill has sent me her usual donation of £1, and H. B., 2s. 6d. 

 I also omitted 2*. I had received for Bix cuttings of "Little 

 Dot." — J0H2T Hagt-Ej 36, Mount Street, Ashton-under- 

 Lyne. 



