The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1897-02-22

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ed perss.ss entertain very erroneous ideas
as to seeding peaches compared with
| budded varieties contending that the seed
| ling trees more hardy, longer lived and
more frost resisting than the budded vari-
cites | will remark in the first place that
| all varieties originate from the seed and
! that when a seeding Is found which bears
| superior fruit il Is propagated by budding
| grating the only practicable means
| of propagating that particular variety
true to It's peculiar good qualities on a
| large scale. This is true Of all of the ex-
cellent varieties now under cultivation. A
few trees might be grown each year by
means OF cuttings or layers or in fruitful
seasons some of the pstils might be arti-
flcially and exclusively pollenized from the
/ anthers of it's own flowers, thus causing the
seed to reproduce true TO variety. Now l
will state some facts drawn from careful
| ly conducted experiment and leave the
reader to make the application.
The Perry Journal, from which paper The
Constitution quotes. makes zone of the
most prominent and reliable citizens of
Houston county responsible for the theory
that the seed from fun ripe peach will
give a tree from which late frecstOne
peaches will be gathered" From the same
tree a seed from peach not ripe will
give a medium early clingstone peach.
From the same parent the seed from n
half ripe peach will produce early
peach"
In order to make an accurate and rella-
bile comparison between seeding and bud
ded trees | planted on the grounds of the
Alabama state experiment station I'm the
early spring of 1854 two trees each of forty
five varieties of budded fruit and forty-fve
one-ycar-old Seeding trees gown from the
seed of fully ripe peaches taken from an
old seeding tree. The seed were all saved
from peaches eaten by ncighbor and his
family, and of course. were thoroughly
ripe
Tho budded trees were shipped from
Georgia while the seedlings were grown
Only four miles from the experiment sta
ton and were jransplanted the same day
on which they were taken up. The trees
were all planted upon soil of exactly the
Same character and fertility and were all
treated exactly alike in every particular. /
give the facts from memory. rot having
Tie record with me. Only two of the buddcd
trees died before bearing fruit. while seven
of the seedlings were lost. The buGded trees
bore earlier. resisted frost better. bearing
$, me fruit in seasons. when the seedlings
failed entirely In fruitful seasons every
variety Of the budded trees bore fruit of
superior quality ripcnins from May 10Th 20
November
There were no two Seeding trees. which
bore identically the same fruit. none Of 1t
was good and all rpened within one month
IL midsummer.
The Seeding trees themselves showed
less cold-resisting power than did the bud
ded trees.
on the 10Th os March. when most of the
trees were in fun blossom. the temperature
fen to - degrees Fahrenheit
Not n twig Of the budded varieties was
killed while many of the seedlings died
back and put out suckers from the base OF
the main limbs.
The unrcliahility of Seeding trees or
rather the varieties in fruit from trees
grown from seed taken from tine same
tree Is duo 10 the variety success from
Wulcn ulc pouen, wnICn lrucunes 1nc piaula
of the flowers ana bears no relation to the
ripeness or unripcness of the peach from
which the seed is taken. Nearly all variety
ia fruit of every description is due to cross
polk nization. We find endless variety i'm our
Wild fruits and nuts We rarely fnd two
trees of the same species bearing idend-
caly the same fruit. This is true of wild
plums. grown from seed. porsimmOus.
,acorus, hickorynuts. pecans. w.unuts and
Chestnuts.
So far as ! know no one claims that bud
ding improves The quality Of the peach.
th, Geh it may be- possible that the fruit
may be improved through the influence of
the stock 1t is n generally recognized fact
that the fruit OF many varieties of the pear
is imW0vod 10y grating upon ounce socks.
II We were compelled to depend upon seed
ling trees growing peaches. apples pears
or plums on commercial scale would he
impracticable II has been estimated th3t
about enc tree out of every Ices grown
from seed will Produce fruit If quality
worthy of cultivation for market.
In oldcn times when there were only n
few varieties the variations We're not 50
great
\ peach tree standing ten miles from any
other would probably reproduce accurately
from its seed. J. ). NEWMAN.
q Few Dots ON Cotton Fertilizers.