St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-10-09
FARMER AND PLANTER.
FRUIT CULTURE.

tAkMEk ANDPLANlEk.
FRUIT CULTURE.
WAg D N.rsssynsa Grow Fruit Trsss -
D1Adlng esd CHATTING lastsaa Of fre0
sesde 81
Fruit trees wero originally repro
duced from seed almost entirely. But
the first peaches scarcely had any
flesh; hardly anything more than .,
large seed. The first apples were crabs.
and pears were no better. Improve
ment was necessary. This has been
accomplished by selection, cultivation
and cross fertilization, and these seeds
planted. After good variety had been
originated. and in order to maintain it,
it was necessary to propagate it in such
way - to be certain that the good
qualities would b. reproduced. This
is accomplished by budding. grating
and from cuttings Seed, even from
improved varieties, have q strong ten
dency to revert to the original wild
type. Besides, seeds from one tree are
often fcrtilized by the pollen OF others,
and trees from this class can not be de-
pended upon as to what it will be when
it fruits.
A few years ago . Georgian grew
l2, 200 peach trees from seed. and sul-
tivated them till they bore fruit
Eleven thousand nine hundred and
ninety-nane, were discarded for being
worthless The one reserved is the IA
nous liberia. Thousands of seeds Of
the Elberta have been planted. but no
one IS yet has reported = single sue
cessful tree. Three -fourths of the
peach orchards in Georgia are Of the
Liberia variety, and that means mil
lions of treeA These would never
have been propagated from Elberta
seed. 1t is true that occasionally .
good variety will reproduce itself from
seed: most all sections Ut the country
have had good varieties that were kept
up from seed. They have disappeared,
some from neglect, and others because
they have deteriorated = reverted -
from year to year till they become
worthless. When . good variety will
reproduce itself from seed, it is well to
grow it that way. But if the same va
riety is grated or budded on the hardy,
strong seedlings OF the south. and
planted by tho tree from seed, it will
be just ~ e. ID Dy that is meant,
bear IS we'll. - fine fruit and live as
long. One farmer here in south
Georgia had = fine press peach tree.
He gathered 50 fine specimens and
planted the seed from them. He Guilt
waited the 50 trees, and when they bore
not one was like the original tree;
none as good, and most of them abso-
lutcly worthless. Some varied SO much
rs IN be clear seeded instead of press.
The great variation of the seed is the
main reason fruit trees are budded,
grated and grown from cuttinga The
second reason il, tho seed can not be
had, while the buds aud cuttings can.
OF all good varieties. the fruit is all
shipped; hence, no seed left; the fruit
being worth moro than the seed.
Then, again, some years the improved
varieties fail to make . crop. but the
hardy southern seedlings (peach)
seldom fail to make 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 q new va
riety is originated and frequently At
great expense, and often il fruits and
proves to be Of special merit, and be-
fore the bearing trees have produced q
thousand seed. there has been propa-
gated by budding, grating. ETC., 1.ooo.-
900 trees.
Even the pecan. which has practical
~ just been taken from the forest, can
not be relied upon to reproduce itself
from seed. Not over 60 per cent of the
trees produced from seed will be as good
rs the nuts planted. The other 40 per
cent will be inferior-smaller, thicker
shell, 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 will enable him to
know Mt planting what fruits will be
produced.-B. w. Stone, in Southern
Cultivator.