The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-09-13
From the Ohio Culivator.
"OBSERVE- E-THINK- ASoN--PRAC-
TISE."

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- Mn. BATEHAM: have added to my
agricultural library, "DowNINe's fruit
and Fruit trees of America" and |
have, during the intermission of busi-
ness, given it a careful perusaI.
This work is a splendid specimen of
the results of the application OF science
and skill, TO the improvement of the
natural and spontaneous productions
of the earth, in the department of hor-
ticulture; and commenced it to the at
tention of the farmers of Ohio, as the
strongest argument which can be ad-
duced in favor of applying the same
means, science and skill, to the I'M
provenent Of agriculture.
If we should shut our eyes to all
around us, and picture TO our imaglna-
tion a primeval state of nature, when
the earth yielded nothing better than
the sour crab apple, the bitter almond,
and aowerless peach, and then trace
the successive steps by which the gar
dener has improved these fruits, in
transplanting them into warmer aspect
enriching the soil, carefully pruning,
selecting seeds, cross breeding, and
successive planting, sheltering, and
watching, we shall perceive now, by
slow degrees, the sour crab expans into
a Golden Pippin; the wild pear loses
its thorns, and becomes Bergamotte
or Beurre, the almond is deprived OF
ITS bitterness, the wild grape trans
formed into a Catawba, and the dry
flavorless peach is at length a tempt
ing and delicious fruit! 1t is in this
way that we can readily comprehend,
the great advances which have been
made in horticulture, and the import
ance OF the application Of all the pow
ers with which the great Creator has
endowed man to enable him TO comply
with the command, that he should by
the sweat of his brow, "replenish the
earth and subdue it."
Man is endowed with the powers of
thinking and reasoning and observing;
and it is of more essential Importance
to his we'll being, that he should exer-
else these powers, in the business OF
agriculture, than to exercise alone his
physical powers. The power of his
hands is limited; but when they are di-
rected by the thinking and reasoning
powers, well cultivated, the power Of
his hands is increased in an almost ratio.
An exemplifcation Of this increased
power in man by the exercise of his
powers of thinking, reasoning and OBJ
servation, may be thus given:
We may observe in the flower of a
plumb tree slender stem arising in the
center, and connected at its base with
the germ ofthe young fruit; science calls
this a pistil; on the sumlt of this pistil
we may observe futher, globular en-
Iargement; this is called stigma; con-
tinuing our observations we discover
numerous other threadlike stems, en-
tirely surrounding this central stem, and
these are also crowned with little g OBJ
ular balls these are called anlhers.--
At a certain season of the year we shall
observe that these anthers burst open
and scatter upon the pistil and stigma,
in the center of the flower,a a fine pow
dery substance, called pollen.
We have now made our observa-
tions, we mustnext exercise our think
ing powers, and inquire what are the
uses of all these parts; and when we
have made this grand discovery, we
apply our reasoning faculties, and 60
about to put these discoveries and rea-
sonings into practice.
We find by little practice with our
hands that we can produce new and
improved variety of fruit; by selecting
blossom before it has expanded, and
with pair Of SCISSORS cut out and re-
move all the anthers; the next day, or
as soon as the blossom is quite expand
ed, we collect with camel's hair brusht
the pollen from a fully blown flower
ofanother variety and apply the pollen
to the stigma or point of the pistil, in
the flower we have deprived Of its an
thers; and to insure success we then
cover this flower with Loose bag of
thin gauge. The seeds contained in
the fruit which this flower produces,
will be endowed with power to pro-
duce a tree which will bear fruit par
taking of the character of both the va
.rieties from which it was thus oliglna-
ted. Thus among the fruits owing
their origin to this source we find Goes
Golden Drop Plum, was raised from
Green Gage, impregnated by the Mag
mum Bonum or Egg Plum; and the
Elton cherry from the Bigarrieu, I'M
pregnated by the White heart and ma
ny others.
How long would it require for man