148 On Prolonging the Duration of Varieties of Fruits, 



ing this point, of which the following are amongst the most satis- 

 factory. I took, in the summer of 1828, some buds from the extre- 

 mities of the leading branches of seedling Pear trees, which, being 

 nearly twenty years old, had in the preceding autumn produced their 

 first fruit. The buds were in July inserted in stocks, which had sprung 

 from seeds in the preceding spring, and were then only four months 

 old. The trees are consequently three years old now, dating from 

 the period when they sprang from the ground ; and many of them, 

 though they have not been transplanted, or subjected to any pecu- 

 liar mode of treatment, have produced blossoms, some of them very 

 abundantly and vigorously, in the present spring. I never pre- 

 viously saw, and I do not think that any other person has seen, in 

 this climate, fruit produced by Pear trees at so early an age. I had 

 previously made the same experiment with Apple trees with the 

 same results. 



Some branches of a Plum tree, which had not attained the age of 

 puberty, were employed as layers ; and these, as I expected they 

 would, very freely emitted roots ; but very contrary to my expecta- 

 tions, I found that the young shoots, which these layers had pro- 

 duced, afforded, in the following spring, much blossom. The 

 variety of Plum which was the subject of this experiment, is, I have 

 reason to believe, exceedingly productive of blossom, but I doubt 

 much whether such blossoms would have appeared if the variety 

 had been a century old. The only inference, however, which I 

 wish to draw from the foregoing premises is, that grafts or buds 

 taken from the bearing branches of very young seedling trees, afford 

 trees capable of bearing freely at a very early age ; as it would be 

 waste of time to offer facts or arguments in proof that such trees 

 would continue to grow with health and vigour. 



Any information, which the Gardener might derive from know- 

 ledge of the preceding facts, would be of very little value if every 

 part of seedling trees were in the same degree affected by age : 



