150 MAINS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I906. 



that belief, but a discussion of that subject is not intended at this 

 tinie. 



Beginning of Systematic Breeding oe Fruits. 

 One of the most significant facts in nature is that every 

 species of plant which man has cultivated for any length of 

 time has numerous forms, varieties, or strains. The practical 

 horticulturist selects that form or strain which is best for cer- 

 tain purposes or for certain conditions. The plant breeder asks 

 why or how these forms came about and how they can be 

 improved. It is worthy of note, however, that until about a 

 century ago the principal studies of plant life were made from 

 wild forms rather than from domesticated species. 



THE work OE van MONS. 



The man who first propounded a theory of the philosophy 

 of the origin of varieties of cultivated plants, was Jean Baptiste 

 Van Mons, who was born in Brussels, in 1765, and died in 

 1842. Van Mons was by profession a chemist, and horticulture 

 was his avocation. His theory applied particularly to fruit 

 trees, but he held that the principles he set forth are of general 

 application in the vegetable kingdom. 



Van Mons' theory may be briefly epitomized as follows : All 

 fine fruits are artificial products. There is always a tendency 

 in all varieties of fruit trees to return, by their seeds, towards 

 a wild state. This tendency is most strongly shown in the 

 seeds borne by old fruit trees. On the other hand, the seeds 

 of a young fruit tree of a good sort, being itself in a state of 

 amelioration, have the least tendency to retrograde, and are 

 most likely to produce improved sorts. Finally, there is a 

 limit to perfection in fruits. When this point is reached, as 

 in the finest varieties, the next generation will more probably 

 produce poorer fruits than if reared from seeds of an indifferent 

 variety in the course of amelioration. 



This system or theory was not founded upon experience or 

 practice, but was a preconceived idea of the author, who spent 

 fifty years, with all the zeal of an enthusiast, in an attempt to 

 prove his theory. He began his work by gathering seeds from 

 a young seedling tree without paying much attention to its 

 quality except that it must be in a state of variation. The seed- 



