first, so it shall be my continual and last advice, — 

 " Plant the most mature and perfect seeds of the 

 most hardy, vigorous, and valuable varieties ; and, 

 as a shorter process, insuring more certain and happy 

 results, cross or hybridize your best fruits. 



The process of amelioration by sowing the seeds 

 of successive generations, if founded in truth, is so 

 long and tedious as scarcely to be worthy of trial. 

 But we cannot define the exact truth of the theory; 

 for we cannot estimate the disturbing influence of 

 natural fertilization ; and the impossibility of pre- 

 venting this, where several varieties exist in the 

 same ground, is apparent to all scientific cultivators. 

 Under such circumstances, we could no more pre- 

 vent an orchard of pears of different sorts from fer- 

 tihzation by the air and insects, that we could prevent 

 a field of corn or a patch of melons, of difi'erent 

 sorts, from mixing by the same process. 



While most of our fruits have been produced by 

 this process of accidental crossing, the number of 

 finer sorts has been comparatively few and far be- 

 tween. We would not, however, discourage the 

 planting of seeds of our best fruits, trusting to na" 

 tural fertilization ; but, to secure more rapid progress 

 and better results, we must rely on the more certain 

 and expeditious art of hybridization. By this raenns 

 we may, in a few years, produce such novel and de- 

 sirable combinations as ages might not give us by 

 accidental fertilization, or sowing seeds at random. 

 In employing this agency, we only imitate nature ; 

 for, though the artificial process is but of recent 

 origin, natural hybridization must have existed from 

 the creation, and undoubtedly gave the first hint to 

 man of the power within his reach. Nor can we 

 doubt that the knowledge of this process is confided 

 to man, by the Almighty Creator, that it may be 

 developed to its utmost extent, or that, in pursuing 

 it, we are doing his will and working with him. 

 Here, "the master-mould of Nature's heavenly 

 hand" is placed within our own, so that the judi- 

 cious and skilful operator may raise new and fine 

 varieties of fruits with as much success as the farmer 

 can produce improved animals by the crossing of 

 his favorite herds. 



We are as yet unable to fix the exact limits within 

 which hybridization may be effected ; but we know 

 that they cannot be determined by botanical classi- 

 fication. The rhododendron and azalea may easily 

 be hybridized ; but no one has yet succeeded in hy- 

 bridizing with each other either the apple and the 

 pear, or the raspberry or blackberry, which are more 

 closely allied. The American and the European 

 grapes are classed as distinct species, as are the ap- 

 ple and pear, yet the former are much nearer rela- 



tions than the latter, and in the Miller's Burgundy, 

 with its woolly foliage and hard}^ nature, we have a 

 connecting link between the Vifis vinifem and V. 

 lahmsca. These considerations may aid in remov- 

 ing the doubts which have been entertained on the- 

 oretical grounds as to the reality of the hybrids said 

 to have been produced between the two species. 



We have learned some of the laws which control 

 the process of hybridization, but others yet remain 

 to be discovered ; and this partial ignorance, bring- 

 ing to the pursuit an element of uncertainty, gives 

 to it also a zest and fascination as great as that of 

 the games of mingled chance and skill which are so 

 universally enticing to our race, but with infinitely 

 more valuable results. 



In raising new varieties, an object of special im* 

 portance is to extend the season of fine fruit, by 

 producing varieties, ripening at its beginning and 

 end, of equal excellence with those which now crown 

 its height. How desirable to produce a pear as 

 early as the Amire Joannet, or even the Doyenne 

 d'Ete, with the size, and the cooling and refreshing 

 juice of the Urbaniste ! 



It may be that nature has set limits to our achieve- 

 ments; it may be that time is requisite to produce 

 size in fruits, so that we cannot expect our earliest 

 varieties to be as large as our later ones ; still, we 

 may make some approach toward it ; and he is a 

 bold man who, in view of present attainment and 

 promise, shall attempt to fix the bounds of our future 

 acquisitions. 



Before finally leaving this most interesting subject 

 of the production of new varieties, I turn from these 

 reflections which it has suggested, to repeat and re- 

 enforce my conviction, that the shortest and surest 

 road to improvement in fruits is by hybridization 

 and cross-breeding. In verification of this opinion, 

 I would refer to the remarkable success of Mr. 

 Rivers, in England, by crossing the peach with the 

 nectarine; also to Mr. Rodgers' experiment with 

 the grape in our own country. Of forty-five seed- 

 lings of the latter, many united the most valuable 

 qualities of their parents in a high degree, and all 

 to a greater or less extent, while not one was found 

 possessing only the inferior qualities of the mother 

 plant. How forcibly does this illustrate the benefi- 

 cence of the Creator ! how strongly does it encourage 

 us to persevere in this good work ! 



In our experiments we shall probably witness 

 many disappointments ; but by carefully watching 

 we may arrive at improvements of which we have 

 so little previous conception, that, when gained, 

 they will seem to us like new creations. In the 

 words of the late Dr. Lindley, " We have but 



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