VARIETIES. 



making (hoots of extraordinary vigour, which foon overtop 

 and exclude the variegated parts of the fame individual. 



VARIETIES, in Natural H'tpry, a word ufed to ex- 

 prefs an accidental change in fome body, which is not 

 effential to it, and therefore does not conftitute a different 

 fpecies. 



The naturalifts of former ages have run into great errors, 

 in miftakintr the accidental varieties of plants, animals, and 

 minerals, for diftinft fpecies. Many of them have called a 

 plant a new fpecies, bccaufe its flower, which (hould have 

 been blue or red, is white, on account of the poornefs of 

 the foil, or fome other fuch reafon. Mr. Ray has efta- 

 blifhed a very good teft for varieties in botany ; he allows 

 every thing to be a diftinft plant, which will propagate itfelf 

 in its own form by its feeds ; but fuch as, when fown, lofe 

 their difference, and run back to the old ftandard, he accounts 

 varieties, however great their diftinftions may appear. 



In the hiftory of fifh, as much confufion has been in- 

 troduced, by miflaking varieties for diftinft fpecies, as in 

 botany. Artedi is the only author who has rationally at- 

 tempted to bring this part of natural hiftory into order in 

 this refpedl, and to fettle regularly the rules by which to 

 diftinguifh real and effential from accidental differences. 



The principal grounds of the error of fuppofing varieties 

 diftinft fpecies of fifh have been thefe : the variable and in- 

 conflant colour of fifh hath been miftaken for a fpecific dif- 

 ference ; in this manner Rondeletius has defcribed many 

 varieties of the turdi, labri, and other fifti, under the names 

 of diftinft genera. 



Others have paid the fame too great regard to the more 

 conftant varieties of colour, which are found only to differ 

 in degree in the feveral individuals of the fame fpecies, and 

 their differences to be only in the degrees of the fame colpur, 

 which is much more intenfe in fome, and more remifs in 

 others. Thefe differences can only make varieties of the 

 fame fifh, the fpecies remaining always the fame. Of the 

 fame kind are the miflakes of thofe who efleem fize or mag- 

 nitude a fpecific charafter ; and thus, out of the varieties 

 of the fame fifh, occafioned by fcarcity or plenty of food, 

 or other fuch occafions, make larger or fmaller fpecies. 

 The place where fifli are caught is alfo another caufe of 

 making new fpecies with thefe authors : thus, though the 

 perca Jlui'tatllis of BcUonius, and the perca marina of other 

 authors, be the fame fifli, yet they are pretended to be dif- 

 ferent fpecies. The time of fpawning is alfo with fome 

 made a diftinftion of fpecies ; and thus we find the common 

 pike divided into three fpecies, according to its fpawning, 

 in fpring, fummer, and autumn, which it does according 

 to the heat or coldnefs of the climate. See Specific 

 Names. 



All thefe differences are falfe and frivolous, and the ut- 

 moft they can do is to make what are properly called 

 varieties, though few of them are fufficient even for that. 

 A falmon caught at fea is not different from one of the fame 

 brood caught in a river ; and if the perca marina, falfely fo 

 called, be a little different from the perca Jluviatilis, yet if 

 its fpawn will produce regular perctz jlwuiatiles, its difference 

 can only amount to a variety, not a diflinft fpecies. 



The time of fpawning is no effential difference ; for we 

 daily fee the change of climate make changes of that kind 

 in all creatures ; and even in the fame climate, and under the 

 fame circumftances, the fame fpecies of birds will afford 

 fome individuals much earlier or later in laying their eggs 

 than others. Artedi Ichthyol. 



Varieties, in Botany and Vegetable Phyjiology, are cer- 

 tain differences between individuals of the fame fpecies, 

 which are not fufSciently important to conilitcte a fpecific 



diftin£iion, nor, however important or flriking, are they 

 permanent, except in offsets, buds, cuttings, or layers of 

 the fame individual. Even thefe are obferved, looner or 

 later, to wear out ; while, on the other hand, fome varieties 

 do appear to be continued, by feed, through fucceflive 

 generations, at leaft in annual plants ; but a very flight de- 

 gree of obfervation will fhew that thefe gradually return to 

 their original nature ; fometimes very fpeedily. Varieties 

 amongfl eatable fruits feem to be the moft numerous and 

 the moft lafting ; but whether they are more fo than others, i 

 which, being unimportant to mankind, pafs unnoticed, as 

 in the Fungus tribe, may be doubted. Mr. Knight, the 

 learned and experienced Prefident of the Horticultural So- 

 ciety, has convinced himfelf, and we believe moft of his 

 intelligent readers, that varieties of Apples and Pears have 

 only a limited duration. (See Species of Plants.) Thus 

 the moft valuable, perhaps, of all, the Golden Pippin, and 

 particularly the ruftet-coated kind of that fruit, is generally 

 wearing out. It may be propagated by grafting ; but the 

 young trees, thus obtained, quickly canker, and ceafe to 

 bear any fruit worth notice. Numbers of Apples and 

 Pears, celebrated in the horticultural works of the French, 

 and many known to have exifted formerly in England, are 

 no more to be found. Thofe who plant orchards draw out 

 admirable plans upon paper, buy trees, and wait with great 

 complacency for the produce, till they find themfelves 

 miferably deceived. Half their trees, pofiibly, bear fome- 

 thing different from what was promifed. So far they have a 

 right to complain of an ignorant, carelefs, or difhoneft nur- 

 feryman. The greater part of their whole ftock, whether 

 the fruit be good or bad in quality, cankers, turns moffy, 

 or dies, in a few years. Some few hardy trees only, of 

 ordinary fruits, perhaps remain. The foil is concluded to 

 be unfit for apples, and the poffefTor bears his difappoint- 

 ment as well as he can. This is the literal hiftory of feveral 

 orchards, which have pafTcd under our obfervation. We 

 have alfo feen fine trees of Golden Pippins and Nonpareils, 

 which twenty years ago bore full crops of excellent fruit, 

 canker and die, without any apparent caufe, fo that " the 

 places which knew them, know them no more." Such is 

 the melancholy hiftory of our orchards. But it is ftill more 

 grievous to obferve, that new varieties, which Mr. Knight, 

 and fome other patriotic cultivators, are obtaining every 

 year from feed, prove far more tranfient than their prede- 

 ceffors, cankering and difappearing in four or five years. 

 Some, however, we hope and trufl, will remain, and that 

 our defcendants will not be deftitute of the moft valuable of 

 all Englifh fruits. With this important end in view, we 

 cannot fufficicntly recommend, to thofe who have the means, 

 the raifing of apple-trees from feed, every year, on a large 

 fcale. It has ufually been the praftice of fuch experi- 

 mentalifts to feleft the kernels of good apples, for their 

 purpofe ; thinking fuch more likely to yield fomething 

 analogous to their parent fruit. Peihaps they may inherit 

 too much of the fame conftitution, and this may be the 

 latent caufe of their own fhort exiftence. Might it not be 

 worth while to fow the feeds of healthy wild crab-trees, 

 whofe vigour might remain in their offspring ? From fuch, 

 doubtlefs, all our valuable varieties muft, at firft, have ori- 

 ginated. Who can tell that the degeneracy fo prevalent 

 among the new-raifed ftocks, as to duration, may not be 

 owing to the repeated crofs impregnation of difeafed worn- 

 out varieties, which muft take place in a garden ? The or- 

 naments of our courts and drawing-rooms may defcend from 

 the heroes of Creffy and Agincourt, but our modern heroes 

 commonly rife from the ranks, and the quarter-deck. 



In the or.iamental department of horticulture, varieties 

 7 are 



