﻿288 
  G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  

  

  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  plainly 
  of 
  small 
  size, 
  hardly 
  equalling 
  ordinary 
  

   crab 
  apples. 
  But, 
  as 
  Dr. 
  Sturtevant 
  has 
  shown, 
  in 
  certain 
  

   directions, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  marked 
  change 
  of 
  type, 
  the 
  

   change 
  is 
  in 
  quality. 
  

  

  In 
  comparing 
  the 
  earlier 
  descriptions 
  of 
  fruits 
  with 
  modern 
  

   accounts 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  to 
  remember 
  that 
  the 
  high 
  standards 
  by 
  

   which 
  fruits 
  are 
  now 
  judged 
  are 
  of 
  recent 
  establishment. 
  

   Fruits 
  which 
  would 
  once 
  have 
  been 
  esteemed 
  excellent, 
  would 
  

   to-day 
  be 
  passed 
  by 
  as 
  unworthy 
  of 
  regard 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  seedless 
  fruits 
  will 
  be 
  

   materially 
  lengthened, 
  provided 
  our 
  experimental 
  horticultur- 
  

   ists 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  at 
  their 
  command. 
  The 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  fruits 
  which 
  have 
  very 
  few 
  or 
  no 
  seeds 
  are 
  the 
  banana, 
  

   pineapple 
  and 
  certain 
  oranges. 
  Others 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Darwin 
  as 
  well 
  known 
  are 
  the 
  bread-fruit, 
  pomegranate, 
  

   azarole 
  or 
  Neapolitan 
  medlar, 
  and 
  date 
  palms. 
  In 
  commenting 
  

   upon 
  these 
  fruits, 
  Mr. 
  Darwin 
  25 
  says 
  that 
  most 
  horticulturists 
  

   "look 
  at 
  the 
  great 
  size 
  and 
  anomalous 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   fruit 
  as 
  the 
  cause 
  and 
  sterility 
  as 
  the 
  result," 
  but 
  he 
  holds 
  the 
  

   opposite 
  view 
  as 
  more 
  probable, 
  that 
  is, 
  that 
  the 
  sterility, 
  com- 
  

   ing 
  about 
  gradually, 
  leaves 
  free 
  for 
  other 
  growth 
  the 
  abundant 
  

   supply 
  of 
  building 
  material 
  which 
  the 
  forming 
  seed 
  would 
  

   otherwise 
  have. 
  He 
  admits, 
  however, 
  that 
  " 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  antag- 
  

   onism 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  forms 
  of 
  reproduction, 
  by 
  seeds 
  and 
  

   by 
  buds 
  when 
  either 
  is 
  carried 
  to 
  an 
  extreme 
  degree 
  which 
  is 
  

   independent 
  of 
  any 
  incipient 
  sterility." 
  

  

  Most 
  plant-hybrids 
  are 
  relatively 
  infertile, 
  but 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  

   wholly 
  sterile. 
  With 
  this 
  sterility 
  there 
  is 
  generally 
  aug- 
  

   mented 
  vegetative 
  vigor, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  Nageli. 
  Partial 
  or 
  com- 
  

   plete 
  sterility 
  and 
  corresponding 
  luxuriance 
  of 
  root, 
  stem, 
  

   leaves 
  and 
  flower, 
  may 
  come 
  about 
  in 
  other 
  obscure 
  ways, 
  and 
  

   such 
  cases 
  are 
  familiar 
  to 
  botanists. 
  10 
  Now 
  it 
  seems 
  highly 
  

   probable 
  that 
  either 
  by 
  hybridizing 
  directed 
  to 
  this 
  special 
  

   end, 
  or 
  by 
  careful 
  selection 
  of 
  forms 
  indicating 
  this 
  tendency 
  

   to 
  the 
  correlated 
  changes, 
  we 
  may 
  succeed 
  in 
  obtaining 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  additions 
  to 
  our 
  seedless 
  or 
  nearly 
  seedless 
  plants. 
  

   Whether 
  the 
  ultimate 
  profit 
  would 
  be 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  pay 
  for 
  

   the 
  time 
  and 
  labor 
  involved 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  which 
  we 
  need 
  not 
  

   enter 
  into 
  ; 
  there 
  appears 
  to 
  me 
  no 
  reasonable 
  doubt 
  that 
  such 
  

   efforts 
  would 
  be 
  successful. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  

   of 
  things 
  why 
  we 
  should 
  not 
  have 
  strawberries 
  without 
  the 
  

   so-called 
  seeds 
  ; 
  blackberries 
  and 
  raspberries, 
  with 
  only 
  deli- 
  

   cious 
  pulp 
  ; 
  and 
  large 
  grapes 
  as 
  free 
  from 
  seeds 
  as 
  the 
  small 
  

   ones 
  which 
  we 
  call 
  " 
  currants 
  " 
  but 
  which 
  are 
  really 
  grapes 
  

   from 
  Corinth. 
  

  

  These 
  and 
  the 
  coreless 
  apples 
  and 
  pears 
  of 
  the 
  future, 
  the 
  

   stoneless 
  cherries 
  and 
  plums, 
  like 
  the 
  common 
  fruits 
  before 
  

  

  