THE FRUIT TREES OF AMERICA. 
417 
proportion as this reproduction is frequently 
repeated, is the change to a great variety of 
forms, or new sorts, increased. It is likely, in- 
deed, that to gather the seeds from a wild 
mazzard in the woods, the instances of de- 
parture from the form of the original species 
would be very few : while if gathered from a 
garden tree, itself some time cultivated, or 
several removes from a wild state, though still 
a mazzard, the seedlings will show great 
variety of character. 
" Once in the possession of a variety, which 
has moved out of the natural into a more 
domesticated form, we have in our hands the 
best material for the improving process. The 
fixed original habit of the species is broken in 
upon, and this variety which we have created 
has always afterwards some tendency to make 
further departures from the original form. It 
is true that all or most of its seedlings will 
still retain a likeness to the parent, but a few 
will differ in some respects ; and it is by seiz- 
ing upon those which show symptoms of vari- 
ation, that the improver of vegetable races 
founds his hopes. 
" We have said that it is a part of the cha- 
racter of a species to produce the same from 
seed. This characteristic is retained even 
where the sport (as gardeners term it) into 
numberless varieties is greatest. Thus, to 
return to cherries, the Kentish or common 
pie-cherry is one species, and the small black 
mazzard another; and although a great number 
of varieties of each of these species have been 
produced, yet there is always the likeness of 
the species retained. From the first we may 
have the large and rich Mayduke, and from 
the last the sweet and luscious Black-Hearts ; 
but a glance will show us that the duke cher- 
ries retain the distinct dark foliage, and, in 
the fruit, something of the same flavour, shape, 
and colour of the original species ; and the 
heart cherries the broad leaves and lofty 
growth of the mazzard. So, too, the currant 
and gooseberry are different species of the 
same genus ; but though the English goose- 
berry growers have raised thousands of new 
varieties of this fruit, and shown them as large 
as hen's eggs, and of every variety of form 
and colour, yet their efforts with the goose- 
berry have not produced anything resembling 
the common currant." — Pp. 3, 4. 
There is a good deal to do yet about settling 
the genera 'of plants ; much of what has been 
done is arbitrary. By and bye we shall have 
this genus split as hundreds have been before, 
without half so much excuse for the division. 
We all know that the seeds of worked varie- 
ties of trees will produce very different trees, 
and those trees very different fruit from the 
parent. Those who have cultivated seedlings 
of any kind long, find the natural tendency of 
all plants to get back to their wild state; and 
in many cases very few indeed come better, 
while a great number are worse than the 
parent. It has struck some novices as a most 
extraordinary fact that the berries of variegated 
holly produce only the green, and the yellow 
berries of some hollies produce nearly all with 
the common red. We have seen this fre- 
quently. The author of the book under 
notice endeavours to place the subject of non- 
production of the parent sort in some kind of 
light : he says, — 
" Our American farmers, who raise a num- 
ber of kinds of Indian corn, very well know 
that, if they wish to keep the sorts distinct, 
they must grow them in different fields. With- 
out this precaution, they find, on planting the 
seeds produced on the yellow corn plants, that 
they have the next season a progeny, not of 
yellow corn alone, but composed of every 
colour and size, yellow, white, and black, large 
and small, upon the farm. Now many of the 
varieties of fruit trees have a similar power of 
intermixing with each other while in blossom, 
by the dust or pollen of their flowers, carried 
through the air, by the action of bees and 
other causes. It will readily occur to the 
reader, in considering this fact, what an influ- 
ence our custom of planting the different vari- 
eties of plum or of cherry together, in a garden 
or orchard, must have upon the constancy of 
habit in the seedlings of such fruits. 
" But there is still another reason for this 
habit, so perplexing to the novice, who, having 
tasted a luscious fruit, plants, watches, and 
rears its seedling, to find it perhaps wholly 
different in most respects. This is the influ- 
ence of grafting. Among the great number 
of seedling fruits produced in the United 
States, there is found occasionally a variety, 
perhaps a plum or a peach, which will nearly 
always reproduce itself from seed. From some 
fortunate circumstances in its origin, unknown 
to us, this sort, in becoming improved, still 
retains strongly this habit of the natural or 
wild form, and its seeds produce the same. 
We can call to mind several examples of this; 
fine fruit trees whose seeds have established the 
reputation in their neighbourhood of fidelity 
to the sort. But when a graft is taken from 
one of these trees, and placed upon another 
stock, this grafted tree is found to lose its 
singular power of producing the same by seed, 
and becomes like all other worked trees. The 
stock exercises some, as yet unexplained, power 
in dissolving the strong natural habit of the 
variety; and it becomes, like its fellows, sub- 
ject to the laws of its artificial life." — Pp. 4, 5. 
Mr. Downing having given his own opinion 
upon the subject of raising fruit trees from 
seed, quotes Van Mons' theory, which he ob- 
serves, has not found much favour in England. 
H H 
