74 



POPULAE EEEORS. 



his process with this fruit through five generations, 

 at which time nearly all of the seedlings were of 

 great excellence, and came into bearing at three 

 years from seed. Apples, he found, needed but 

 four generations and peaches, cherries, plums, and 

 other stone fruits but three. 



The leading feature of his theory was that it was 

 important to subdue or enfeeble the original nature 

 of the tree. To this end he always gathered his 

 fruits before fully ripe, allowed them to rot before 

 planting the seeds, in order to refine or render less 

 wild and harsh the next generation. In trans- 

 planting the young seedlings he cut off the tap 

 root, and he annually shortened the leading and 

 side branches, besides partially starving the trees 

 by planting them only a few feet apart. All this 

 lessened the vigor of the tree and produced, as he 

 believed, an impression upon the nature of the 

 seeds produced by the first crop of fruit. In order 

 to attain the full force of these influences, and to 

 continue without interruption the progressive varia- 

 tion, he allowed the trees to bear upon their own 

 roots. 



Such is Van Mons' theory and practice for the 

 improvement of fruits. It has never been adopted 

 in practice to any extent by others, not so much 

 from a disbelief in its correctness as from the large 

 amount of labor and patience required in carrying 



