The Arkansas advocate., 1833-08-07
From the .Neac England Farmer. DETERIORATION OF FRUITS.

The amehoration of fruits is of great inn- portance, and should rank next to their propagation; by it our gardens are filled with superior and delicious varieties. Who would recognize in the yellow harvest, or the Pearmain apples, the insignificant acid crabl or in the luscious Beurre or the Ca piamont, the hard puckery fruit found in the woods i'll their native state. Yet, this is true, the head and hand ofman have been, and still are, striving to bring to perfection what nature as 1t were threw together in a rude state for us to take as it is, or by our mind and reason, to improve and render agreeable to our wants and wishes. There IS tendency in plants undoubtedly given by nature, to improve in quality by eultiva- tion--lust Ill the same manner as animals become domesicated from the wild state, and made useful to man. By fertilization, by intermixing the pollen of one variety with the stigma of another, has of late be- come almost the only method; and regard to the knowledge, and manner in which 1t should be performed, just so sure are we of an improved variety. This method was not understood until the discovery =oi f the ;is sexes in plants, but 1t IS now considered as the only controlling power, of which we have any knowledge.
 The saving of seeds of ffuit-trees is of great importance; the health and state of the tree, the quantity quality tty-and above all, the flavor and beauty of the fruit, should be taken into consideration. For in the same ratio that the parent is deficient, the young seeding will partake more or less, of its nature. But there is think great error prevalent among our gardeners and horticulturists, which Is the particular cause of my remarks, and which IS fast leading us to bad principles; it 1t the practice which of late we have been much engaged in, fget- ting, or perhaps more properly, adding to our collections new kinds of fruits. That majority of the new fruits we receive are fine varieties IS true,-some, however, are not hardly worth having, the practice shall ailude to, has undoubtedly been the cause of our having so many synonymous fruits. A tree, or shrub, of superior variety, Is re- ceived by some oi our horiicuiturlsts, vino have the good fortune to be acquainted with our more distinguished transatlantic friends; 1t IS set out with us and natures fruit, which generally prove true to the kind; gratis are then taken from 1t Sometimes even before 1t has shown blossom) and other trees engrafted-the operation succeeds, and be- fore these scions are one year old, they are cut to engraft again, they in their turn are cut-and before another year these are a. gain cut--perhaps by this time, if all are supplied with scions, the tree may be per- mitted to bear, the scions have passed through so many different hand, that the original name may be lost, or if not, the fruit Is so widely different in size and flavor that 1t must have new name---or 1t Is q new spontaneous variety. This is not all mere theory, but it Is found in physiological knowledge, the original tree may be ingood health, that upon which the first scion is s:,,raassed may not, nor tie next, and 50 oil, nor Is the kind of stock of little influence; some melting pears may 5a rendered hard and breaking (and some breaking ones much improved) by the stock. Another important object in cutting scions, that they be taken from a bearing tree, one that has acquired its growth; tie more strong and vigorous the shoots, provided 1t be sound wood, not pithy, being by far the best. If, however, this should not be the fact, is # not better, or at least far safer, that every one should sec, or have evidence that the tree from which scions are to be cut, has borne fruit, and of good quality! It is, I