Every seed, though many be taken from a single apple, will af- 

 ford a new and distinct variety, which will generally be found to 

 bear some resemblance to each of its parents. Examples of this 

 are presented in the Grange apple and Downton pippin, and in the 

 Foxley apple and Siberian Harvey. 



After varieties are thus formed, the operator has still to wait 

 long before he can estimate the success of his labours. Aseedhng 

 pear-tree does not often bear fruit till it is ten, and sometimes not 

 till it is sixteen or eighteen years old; but a seedling apple-tree 

 will generally produce fruit at six or seven years old, and some- 

 times even at four, when either of its parents has been the Siberian 

 crab. The success of the experiment is also still uncertain : many 

 of the new varieties will be worthless ; and where the fruits are 

 good the trees will often prove unproductive, or defective in health 

 and vigour; and the planter must think himself fortunate if, under 

 the best management, fifty seeds afford a single fine variety for the 

 press; though many will probably be above mediocrity. 



Many different methods of raising and preserving orchards are 

 practised ; but the following is that which I can best recommend. 

 Let a soil of good quality be selected for a nursery, which should 

 be trenched eighteen inches deep, and planted with seedling crab 

 or pear stocks of one year old, each plant being placed at the dis- 

 tance of six feet from others. These will be fit for grafting at two 

 years old ; and an acre of ground, thus planted, will contain about 

 1500 trees, and consequently enough to plant about forty acres, 

 where each tree stands at twelve yards distance from others. A 

 nursery thus planted, when the trees are seven or eight years old 

 from the seed, will form a more productive orchard than can be 

 obtained by any other means with which I am acquainted; and 

 during the earlier periods of the growth of the trees, they will be 

 rather benefited than injured if the ground be planted with pota- 

 toes, or other low-growing crops, with proper manure. During 



