268 Principles of Plant Culture. 



than the one before it. By and by, we may hope to se- 

 cure a form that approaches our ideal and comes toler- 

 ably true from seed. 



445. Planting with Reference to Chance Crossings. 



Many valuable varieties have unquestionably arisen from 

 accidental crosses between plants of different varieties 

 that chanced to be growing in x^roximity. Profiting by 

 this hint, varieties are sometimes i^lanted near together 

 to favor self- crossing, a practice to be encouraged. 



446. Those Who Improve Plants are True Benefactors. 

 He who produces fruits or flowers for others works a 

 transient good. But he who produces a variety of fruit 

 or flower that is superior to any now known confers upon 

 his race a permanent good. Until the introduction of the 

 Wilson strawberry, the markets of our country were not 

 supplied with this delicious and wholesome fruit, because 

 no known variety was sufficiently productive to be gen- 

 erally profitable, or sufficiently firm to endure long car- 

 riage. What a blessing was conferred upon us by a 

 Mr. James Wilson, of Albany, N. Y. ! There are wild 

 fruits in our copses to-day that are doubtless worthy of 

 improvement, and in most of our fruits now under cul- 

 ture the development of superior varieties would greatly 

 enhance their value. ' ' The harvest truly is great, but 

 the laborers are few." 



The following books are recommended for reading in 

 connection with the preceding chapter: Plant Breeding, 

 Bailey; Yariations of Animals and Plants Under Domes- 

 tication, Darwin; Propagation and Improvement of Cul- 

 tivated Plants, Burbridge; Origin of Cultivated Plants,, 

 De CandoUe. 



