THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 7, 1860. 
291 
careful and judicious management to bring them to perfection; 
and the chemical constituents continued to develope gradually 
and slowly, and it was only when they were thus perfected that 
the full value of any kind could be ascertained. On further re¬ 
marking on this matter, Mr. Moore stated, that although fifty 
kinds and upwards of new varieties had been cultivated in the 
Botanic Garden, he doubted whether much good had been done 
to agriculture in consequence. None of them yet exceeded the 
best old sorts, though some were very prolific, and grew with 
such vigour as to show that there was something in the new 
blood after all. The reason of failures, he believed, was chiefly 
owing to those who raised the seedlings not understanding what 
they really sought to obtain, nor endeavouring to get good 
results according to physiological laws. None of our root crops, 
he considered, were more subject to our control than the Potato, 
and it only required the operator to conduct his experiments on 
sound principles to insure success. For the most part those who 
raised seedling Potatoes collected the apples from any sort which 
happened to ripen them, and should any good result follow it 
was only a matter of chanoe. This is not the way to go to work, 
as he endeavoured to instance by showing that varieties of a 
species, in sportive plants like the Potato, did not come true 
from seed, so as to resemble the parent variety from which the 
seeds were taken. As an example of this, he stated that if a 
hundred seedlings were raised from the well-known Kemp 
Potato, probably not more than one-third, if so many, would 
bear the slightest resemblance to the Kemp. Some would, 
probably, bo red-skinned, be long or oval-formed, have different 
coloured blossoms and so on, departing from the parent plant. 
Yet a few would very likely resemble the parent very closely, 
and improve on the the good qualities it possessed. But, 
supposing another case, for example, that Red-nosed Kidney 
Potatoes and Kemps were growing near each other, and the 
operator knowing enough of the organs of plants and the 
functions they perform so as to enable him to fecundate the 
blossoms of the one with the pollen of the other, a cross would 
be the result, and, probably, more than half the offspring would 
be intermediate between the two parents. In this way we act in 
strict accordance with physiological laws, which are almost 
certain to produce the object sought for. 
lie would not follow the Potato farther, but would make some 
observations on other kinds of agricultural produce, of which 
such splendid examples had been exhibited before the Royal 
Dublin Society. To those who studied this subject so as to 
comprehend it fully, it must appear a very remarkable circum¬ 
stance how few species of plants are capable of being cultivated 
in this country, or even in any other part of the world with 
which we are yet acquainted. Upwards of 200,000 species of 
plants are already known to inhabit the globe, out of which 
not more than 100 distinct species are under cultivation exten¬ 
sively. Iu this country not more than a quarter that number, if 
the grasses be excepted, which must be given as mixtures, and 
these only belong to a few families. Our farm crops, at the 
present time, consist of varieties of species most of which have 
been obtained within the last half century. They are new 
creations, according to the language of modern philosophers, 
which have been brought about in some of the ways he had 
already hinted at, either by hybridising, cross-breeding, or by 
selection of individuals departing from the typical species. 
After explaining the meaning of those terms, by reference to a 
fine set of diagrams containing figures of the principal kinds of 
our domesticated vegetables, ho went on to say that both 
botanists and practical agriculturists must be astounded to think 
lioiv true many of those varieties hold when carefully cultivated 
apart from other varieties of the same species. Yet there is a 
constant tendency of some individuals out of any batch of seed¬ 
lings to revert back to the original type. He instanced the 
Cauliflower as an extreme variety of the Cabbage, and said that 
every gardener must have observed in a bed of seedling Cauli¬ 
flower plants some individuals differ from the mass, and bear a 
closer resemblance to flat Dutch or Broccolis. Those were 
called in vulgar parlance “rogues” and generally eradicated. 
They were, however, rogues of no small importance to the ex¬ 
perimental physiologist, because they showed a tendency to 
revert back to the original type; and he believed that if care 
were taken to breed back as well as it was taken to improve on 
qualities, the Cauliflower might, in a few generations, be brought 
to resemble the pure type of the species. This led him to think 
that however learned, able, and ingenious Mr. Darwin’s reason¬ 
ings were, in his lately published work on the “ Origin of Species,” 
he was yet wanting in practical knowledge on some of those 
subjects. We have ample evidence of progressive development, 
but we also see a tendency to retrograde. Although many of the 
originals of our agricultural and horticultural plants be not 
certainly known at present, they may have perished before what 
are known as the historical ages, and yet their offspring still show 
a tendency to revert back to them. The Carrot was instanced 
as tho improvement of a race by selection in the first instance, 
and afterwards by cross-breeding, some of the varieties being 
what are termed mongrels— i.e., the offspring of two distinct 
varieties of the same species. Some of the varieties of Turnips 
were also instanced as hybrids or mules— i.e., the offspring be¬ 
tween two distinct species, as the Swedish Turnip and any of the 
other sorts now considered. The former had its origin in the 
wild Brassica campestris, a worthless weed ; and the latter in 
Brassica napus, another useless weed. It has been by artificial 
processes and the care bestowed on this valuable crop by man 
that the varieties have attained to their present state of per¬ 
fection .—(Dublin Agricultural Review.) 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
EKUIT COMMITTEE. 
A Meeting of the Fruit Committee was held on Tuesday, tho 
31st of July, at the Rooms, St. Martin’s Place. Mr. F. J. 
Graham, in the chair. 
Owing to the late and ungenial season, there were no com¬ 
petitors for the long list of premiums that were offered for early 
fruits. In such seasons as the last, we had early Peaches, Plums, 
and Apricots, by the end of July ; but this season such Plums 
as Early Prolific, which were all gathered by this time last year, 
are now as green and hard as Bullaces. 
The only prize competed for, was for the best Gooseberry, 
combining size and flavour, which was obtained by Messrs. 
Meyers & Son, Boston Road, Brentford, with Companion, a very 
large and highly flavoured sort. , 
A Seedling late Strawberry, from Mr. Ingram, of Frogmorc, 
and called Frogmore Late Pine , received a First-class Certificate. 
Tho fruit is of the largest size, of excellent flavour ; and the plant 
appears to be an abundant bearer. Another late variety called 
Sanspareil,from Mr. Culverwell, of Thorpe Perrow, near Bedale, 
also received a First-class Certificate. It is not so large as the 
preceding, and is of a long, conical shape, remarkable for the 
firmness and deep red colour of its flesh, which is also richly 
flavoured. 
Mr. Standish again exhibited bunches of Ingram's Hardy 
Prolific Muscat, which was on this occasion more highly ripened 
than when last exhibited, and its flavour was exquisite, abun¬ 
dantly sugary, with a fine racy piquancy. It was awarded a 
First-class Certificate. 
Mr. Cuthill, of Camberwell, sent dishes of his Seedling Straw¬ 
berries, Highland Mary and Richard the Second. The latter is 
an improved form of Blade Prince. 
Mr. Whiting, of the Deepdene, sent a splendid bunch of the 
Buckland Sweetivater Grape, which fully confirmed the high 
opinion which has already been formed of its merits. The bunch 
was heavily shouldered, and the berries large and somewhat 
transparent, like those of the Hutch Sweetwater. 
A Dwarf Green-seeded Garden Bean, in the way of Marshall s 
Prolific, was sent by Mr. Jennings, of Shipston-on-Stour; and 
Mr. Turner, of Slough, sent two specimens of his Turner's 
Favourite Cucumber, measuring 21 inches and 23 inches long 
respectively. 
BRITISH POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
The Annual Meeting of the British Pomological Society was 
eld at the Hanover Square Rooms, on Thursday last. J. Bemer- 
rdo Haig, Esq., in the chair. . „ , Al ... , 
The business of this Meeting was specially for tho election ot 
dice-bearers for the ensuing year, and to investigate the state of 
le Society’s finances. In consequence of the accounts not having 
een from some cause submitted to the Auditors, there was no 
uthorised statement to lay before the Meeting; but from the 
icts supplied by the Secretary, it appeared that while the 
abilities are £83, the assets are only £12 Us. Id., leaving a 
alance of £40 0s. 5 d. against the Society. The assets arise from 
:i2 4s. 7 d. cash in hand; £5 5s, due for premiums offered ; and 
;25 10s. for subscriptions, presuming theso to be good, On 
