THE PLOU'EES A NTD FRUITS. 37 



skill and judgment have in this case all their customary 

 value." 



Up to the present time the gresit advance in this line 

 has been with the roses and border Ilowers. The produc- 

 tion of the orchard fruits by crossing is a slower process, 

 but the outcome is quite as certain. As an example, the 

 writer a few years ago crossed some flowers of the De Soto 

 plum with pollen of a Japanese variety. Through an 

 accident only four plants were saved. All of them bear 

 fruit better in quality than any of our natives and one of 

 them is as large as the Lombard and superior to it in 

 quality. 



40. The Fruit and its Maturation. — The botanist defines 

 fruit as " The ripened pericarp and attachments." This 

 would hardly answer for a description of Grimes Golden 

 apple, Seckel pear, Ponderosa tomato, or other products 

 of the gardener's art of developing delicious flesh at the 

 expense of the seeds. Some of the conditions most favor- 

 able for perfect fruit development are of far more value to 

 the grower than a discussion of the principles connected 

 with fruit- and seed-growth. 



Some of the essentials connected with the development 

 of flowers and the starting and holding of the fruit have 

 been outlined above. In practice it is found that some of 

 the conditions favorable to perfect flowers are also favor- 

 able for the perfect maturation of the fruit. 



11. Air-drainage. — In all parts of the Union most of 

 the orchard fruits bear more regularly, and mature their 

 fruits most perfectly, on land higher than the adjacent 

 sections at least in one direction. In California the citrus 

 fruits, and most others, thrive best on the mesa tracts 

 with quite abrupt air-drainage to lower levels. In Georgia 

 the profitable peach-orchards are on the high ridges and 

 even mountains. In the prairie States it is the same with 



