Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-11

ERuIr CULTURE.

Why Do Nurserymen Grow Fruit Trees oy
Budding and Grating Instead of fr0m
Seed
Fruit trees were originally repro
duced from seed almost entirely. but
the first peaches scarcely had any
flesh; hardly anything more than a
large seed. The first apples were crabs
and pears We're no better, Improve
ment was necessary. This has oeen
accomplished by selection, cultivation
and cross fertilization, and these seeds
planted. After a good variety had been
originated, and in order to MAINTAIN IT.
it was necessary 70 propagate II IN snch
way as 10 be certain that the gooa
Qualities would be reproduced. This
is accomplished hy budding, grating
and from cuttings. Seed, even o
improved varieties, have a strong ten
dencv 10 revert 10 the original "llo
ivpe- Besides. seeds from one tree are
often fcrtili2ed by the pollen OF others
snd trees from this class can not be de-
pended upon as 10 whstitwlI be when
ii fruits
A few wears sgo 8 Georgian grew
I 2. 900 peach trees from seed, and ep1-
tivaGcd them till they bore fruit
Eleven thousand nine hundred ana
ninety-nane were discarded for being
worthless The one reserved is the IA
nous liberia Thousands Of seeds OF
The k.berta have been planted, hut no
one s. set has reported a single sue
oesstul tree. Three -tourths Of the
peach orchards in Georgia are OF the
liberia variety, and that means mil
lions OF trees These would never
have been ~propagated from E!berta
seed. 1t IS true that occasionally a
good variety will reproduce itself from
seed; most all sections OF the country
have had good varieties that were kept
up from seed. They have disappeared,
| some from neglect, and others because
they have deterioTated reverted -
from year to year till they become
worthless When a good variety will
reproduce itself from seed, ii IS well to
grow il that way. But if the same va
riety is grated or budded on the hardy
strong seedlings of the south and
planted by the tree from seed, il Will
be just as good. BY that IS meant,
bear as well, as fine fruit and live as
long. One farmer here in south
Georgia had a fine press peach tree.
He gathered 50 fine specimens and
planted the seed from them. He cultl-
waited the 50 trees, and when they bore
not one was like the original tree;
none as good. and most OF them abso-
lutely worthless. Some varied so much
as to be clear seeded instead OF press.
The great variation OF the seed is the
main reason fruit trees are 6udded,
grated and grown from cuttings. The
second reason is, the seed can not be
had, while the buds and cuttings can.
OF all good varieties, the fruit IS all
shipped; hence, no seed left; the fruit
being worth more than The seed.
Then, again, some years the improved
varieties fail to make a crop, but the
hardy southern seedlings peach
seldom fail TO make a crop.
The third reason is, the stock which
are used for propagation are selected
for their hardness and vigor, and in
many varieties are greatly improved
by being propagated on thrifty stock.
The fourth reason is often a new va
riety is originated and frequently al
great expense, and often ii fruits and
proves to be Of special merit, and be
fore the bearing trees have produced a
thousand seed. there has been propa.
gated By budding, grating, etc, 1000
900 trees.
Even the pecan, which has practical
Is Just been taken from the forest, can
not be relied upon to reproduce itself
from seed. Not over so per cent. Of the
trees produced from seed will be As good
as the nuts planted. The other 80 per
cent. viii be inferior-smaller, thicker
shell, a poorer quality.
Since the reader will have to plant
trees and wait from two to twelve years
for them to bear, he had better observe
the above reasons for using such modes
Of propagation that viii enable him to
know at planting what fruits will be
produced.-B W. Stone, in Southern
Cultiyator.