336 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



seeds, many sorts are so far fixed that they readily 

 reproduce the leading characters of their parent 

 races. Dr. Van Mons, of Belgium, has raised 

 numerous good varieties hy sowing seeds from suc- 

 cessive generations of the same original. He had 

 great faith in his system, and "believed that cross- 

 fertilisation tended to bring about degeneracy in the 

 offspring. Notwithstanding his mode of procedure, 

 it will he ohvious to every one that unless carried 

 out with scientific accuracy, experiments of this 

 nature are most liable to be frustrated. Pear blos- 

 som is so popular with, and open to, a great number 

 of insects, that in the case of unprotected trees it is 

 just possible that every seedling variety of merit he 

 ever ohtained was the result of a cross "between two 

 distinct varieties. Although the Pear can never be- 

 come of such national importance as the Apple, the 

 raising of new and meritorious sorts, possessed of 

 earlier fruiting properties, and more capable of re- 

 sisting the variable climate of our country, cannot 

 be too highly recommended. (See articles on the 

 Apple and Pear). 



Some idea of the immense and important changes 

 brought about by the selection and good cultivation 

 of some of our domesticated fruits, can be gleaned by 

 comparing the wild Gooseberry with many of the 

 popular and valuable sorts of garden origin. The 

 average weight of a berry of the w r ild form would be 

 about 120 grains, while that of a variety called 

 "•London" was produced in Staffordshire in 1852^ 

 weighing 895 grains. (See Gooseberry.) Probably 

 this is the largest on record, but it must not be sup- 

 posed that cultivation alone would bring about such 

 marvellous results. Sowing the seed of the best and 

 most promising varieties to obtain new sorts, is a 

 slow and uncertain process, because everything 

 almost is indefinite and left to chance ; but such a 

 method of procedure prosecuted for centuries in the 

 case of long-domesticated plants, has resulted in 

 accumulating the innumerable fruits, and so-called 

 florists' flowers, that fill our orchards or adorn our 

 gardens. 



Amongst flowers belonging to various natural 

 orders, especially annual species, selection is carried 

 on to an almost unlimited extent, and is, indeed, 

 frequently the only practicable means at command 

 for the production of seeds on a large scale to meet 

 the public wants. Large breadths are sown, and the 

 worthless varieties, or undesirable mixtures, as- 

 siduously weeded out ; and this being pursued for 

 several successive generations, results in what are 

 called strains, being so far fixed that they can- re- 

 produce the desired property, or colour, with toler- 

 able accuracy. 



One of the most remarkable cases coming under 

 this heading is that of MatMola annua, the Ten- 



weeks Stock. A long-selected strain has inherited 

 the faculty of producing individuals with single, 

 and others with perfectly double, flowers. The latter 

 are completely sterile, but seedlings raised from the 

 former generally yield a good percentage of double 

 flowers, and this is the only practicable means of 

 perpetuating the race. 



In reviewing the list of popular florists' flowers, 

 it is remarkable what a number of them have been 

 improved, at least in their earlier days of cultivation, 

 simply by selection. This is obvious when we con- 

 sider that in numerous instances they are the lineal 

 descendants of one progenitor, where the only 

 chance of improvement consisted in diligently 

 selecting individuals th.it differed from their parent 

 in any slight degree, and breeding with them for 

 successive generations. At the same time it is a 

 notorious fact that some plants take an infinitely 

 longer time before they exhibit much improvement, 

 while others by some unaccountable moans rapidly 

 improve under cultivation, and immediately become 

 popular. Amongst the earlier productions, the 

 Tulip, Hyacinth, and Auricula must be grouped 

 here, and, in a lesser degree, Primroses and Poly- 

 anthus as descendants of one original, although the 

 latter are generally believed to have a hybrid origin 

 in two species, namely, Primula vulgaris and P. vena. 

 The Carnation and Pink are the lineal descendants 

 of Dianthus caryophyllus and lK plumarius respec- 

 tively, and the number of forms that have originated 

 from each are as surprising as they are popular and 

 beautiful. The same number of beautiful forms 

 possibly are found in P. barbatus. But the number 

 of mules resulting from the intercrossing of two 

 species in this genus are remarkably few, as it seems 

 to exhibit a decided aversion to muling. 



The varieties of the Chinese Chrysanthemum 

 Sinense constitute a monument of achievement as 

 to what can be developed from a single species. 

 The original stock had doubtless been induced to 

 vary by intercrossing selected varieties, and at the 

 present day the numerous forms are readily divided 

 into distinct races or sections, known as the Incurved 

 Recurved, Anemone-flowered, Pompon, and Japanese 

 Chrysanthemums. AVe have an almost parallel 

 instance in the China Aster, Callistephus Chinensis, 

 where the sections are known as Chrysanthemum- 

 flowered, Pajony-flowered, and Victoria Asters. In 

 this instance, likewise, all are descended from one 

 original species, which implies long and careful 

 selection in the first place, to obtain a diversified 

 stock. 



Primula Chinensis, P. Sieboldii, and Cyclamen Per- 

 sicum, offer instances of florists' achievements effected 

 within comparatively recent years. The numerous 

 and extremely varied progeny are descended from a 



