VARIETIES. 



are perennial, to continue them with certainty, is to be 

 iccomplilhed either by means of planting 'h-ir fuckers, or 

 the offsets or flips of the roots, and in fonie by layers and 

 mttings, or in the woody defci'iptions by layers, cuttings, 

 crafting, and budding ; but in the annual tribe there is no 

 ;3ther means tlian by fowing or fetting the feed, except in 

 ifome few forts, by the planting of their cuttings, as in the 

 ;;hryfaiithemum, nafturtium, and fome others ; however, in 

 <\ great number of kinds, where particular attention has 

 ionftantly been bellowed in faviiig the feeds from only the 

 Itnoft perfeft, they will continue tolerably permanent, and 

 ifrequently come again the fame, or with but very little 

 ivariation. 



; In many forts of plants of the kitchen-garden and annual 

 iflower kind, though there be a number of varieties in each, 

 ^yet by good care, and conftantly faving feed from the moft 

 perfeft plants, which (hew no figns of degenerating, they 

 remain, year after year, permanent from feed. 



But moft of the perennial tribe, the herbaceous as well 

 ■as the woody forts, as being in general more variable from 

 feed, afford great opportunities of continuing the perma- 

 nency of any particular variety, by making ufe of the 

 'offsets from their roots, the fuckers, layers, and cuttings, 

 ;as well as by grafting and budding, as has been already 

 Teen. 



It fometimes occurs, however, that plants, although not 

 ■immediately raifed from feed, will, on account of fome 

 accidental caufe, vary materially from their ufual natural 

 Igi'owths, and affume quite different appearances, arifing in 

 Iconfequence either of culture, climate, expofure, foil, age, 

 'difeafe, abundance, or deficiency of nourilhment, contufions, 

 'or other fimilar circumllances ; and by fuch means produce 

 accidental varieties in fome particular parts of their growth. 

 The afcertaining of the reality of the varieties is, in many 

 'forts, readily and eafily accomplifhed by a comparifon of 

 |the variable plant with the fpecific diftinftions of the 

 inatural fort ; and the variations of growth of the variety 

 iwith the fame parts in the natural plant. But ftill there 

 lare many varieties that require all the ficill and knowledge 

 I of the mofl expert gardener to fully diilinguifh and afcer- 

 tain them. It is, however, of material importance, in many 

 , cafes of practical gardening, to have a nice and corredl 

 I notion of the varieties of the plants which are to be culti- 



■ vated, as the work can thereby be performed with greater 

 certainty and advantage, as well as with more and better 



! effea. 



j In the firft volume of the Tranfaftions of the Horticul- 

 I tural Society, T. A. Knight, efq., makes the following 

 I conclufions on the means of raifing new and early varieties 



■ of fruits : after ftating that " variation is the conftant at- 

 I tendant on cultivation, both in the animal and vegetable 

 ' world ;" and that " in each the offspring are conftantly 



I feen, in a greater or lefs degree, to inherit the charafter of 

 I the parents from which they fpring:" that as every parti- 

 j cular fort of fruit acquires its greateft ftate of perfeftion m 

 I fome peculiar fort of foil or fituation, and under fome 

 ' fimilar mode of culture ; the proper choice of fuch " muft 

 I be the firft objeft of the improver's purfuit ; and that 

 1 nothing fhould be neglefled which can add to the fize, or 

 ; improve the flavour of the fruit which it is intended to pro- 

 I pagate. Due attention to thefe points will, it is contended, 

 I in almoft all cafes, be found to comprehend all that is necef- 

 j fary to infiire the introduftion of new varieties of fruit, of 

 j equal merit with thofe from which they fpring;" but that, 

 I at the fame time, " the improver, who has to adapt his pro- 

 ! duftions to the cold and unfteady climate of this country, 

 ! has ftill many difficulties to contend with ; he has to com- 



bine hardinefs, energy of charafter, and early maturity! 

 with the improvements of high cultivation. Nature has, 

 it is maintained, however, in fome meafure, pointed out the 

 path he has to purfue ; and that, if it be followed with 

 patience and induftry, no obftacles will be found, which 

 may not be either removed or paffed over." 



Thns, " if two plants of the vine, or other tree, of fimilar 

 habits, or even if obtained from cuttings of the fame tree, 

 were placed to vegetate, during feveral fucceffive feafons, in 

 very different climates ; if the one were planted on the 

 banks of the Rhine, and the other on thofe of the Nile, 

 each would adapt its habits to the climate in which it was 

 placed ; and if both were fubfequently brought, in early 

 fpring, into a chmate fimilar to that of Italy, the plant 

 which had adapted its habits to a cold climate, would in- 

 ftantly vegetate, whilft the other would remain perfeftly 

 torpid. Precifely the fame thing occurs in the hot-houfes 

 of this country, where a plant accuftomed to the temperature 

 of the open an-, will vegetate ftrongly in December ; whilft 

 another plant of the fame fort, and fprung from a cutting 

 of the fame original ftock, but habituated to the tempera- 

 ture of a ftove, remains apparently lifelefs. It appears, 

 therefore, that the powers of vegetable life, in plants 

 habituated to cold climates, are more eafily brought into 

 aftion than in thofe of hot climates ; or in other words, 

 that the plants of cold climates are moft excitable : and as 

 every quality in plants becomes hereditary, when the caufes 

 which firft gave exiftence to thofe quahties continue to 

 operate, it follows that their feedhng offspring have a con- 

 ftant tendency to adapt their habits to any climate in which 

 art or accident places them." But it is remarked, that 

 " the influence of climate on the habits of plants, will de- 

 pend lefs on the aggregate quantity of heat in each climate, 

 than on the diftribution of it in the different feafons of the 

 year." Where it comes on fuddenly and violently after the 

 plants have been long expofed to fevere and intenfe cold, 

 and their capability of being excited is, of courfe, greatly 

 increafed, or become abundant, the progrefs of vegetation 

 will confequently be extremely rapid. But, on the contrary, 

 where it takes place in a flow and irregular manner, and in- 

 creafes only in a tardy moderate way on plants which have 

 been little affefted with the preceding cold, and in which 

 the powers of fife have fcarcely at any time been fufpended, 

 the progrefs is much more gradual and reftrained. Thus the 

 crab, which is a native of RulTia as well as of England, has 

 adapted alike its habits to each : the Siberian variety, when 

 introduced into the climate of this country, retains its habits, 

 expands its leaves, and bloffbras on the firft approach of 

 fpring, vegetating ftrongly in the fame temperature, in which 

 the native tree of that fort hardly difplays any figns of life ; 

 r.nd Its fruit acquires a degree of maturity, even in the early 

 part of an unfavourable feafon, which the variety of this 

 country is rarely or ever feen to attain. 



It is likevviife fuggefted, that " fimilar caufes are pro- 

 djftive of fimilar effeCls on the habits of cultivated annual 

 plants," but that " thefe appear moft readily to acquire 

 habits of maturity in warm climates ; for it is in the power 

 of the cultivator to commit his feeds to the earth at any 

 feafon ; and the progrefs of the plants towards maturity 

 will be moft rapid where the climate and foil are moft warm." 

 This knowledge is not only of great utility in many cafes 

 of gardening, but of much praftical advantage in the bufi- 

 nefs of agriculture. 



It is added, that " the value to the gardener of an early- 

 crop has attracted his attention to the propagation and 

 culture of the earlieft varieties of many particular forts of 

 our efculent plants ; but in the improvement of thefe, he is 

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