Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-12-23
Plant Breeding.

ThiS subject while not unknown 20 many
scientific horticulturists OF two past gem
erations. has until recently not received
the attention which It's Importance and
influence upon the improving Of our
fruits. grains and plants deserves. Few
persons really understand that plant
breeding Is in fact evolving a new growth
of old ones. Our domestic animals as
horses, cattle, and poultry have from time
immemorial been gradually improved by
intelligent breeding or crossing the best
types until the perfection of most of
these animals, as demonstrated at our
agricultural fairs, has been seemingly
reached. Still, there is yet a vast field
for experiments, and the greater improve
ment Of the present high standard Of
these animals. II is only very short
time since the Wild hare has received the
attention OF breeders Of domestic animals
and by the careful selection OF the best
types, some remarkably fine specimens
have been produced. These command
such q high money value as would have
been considered fabulous a few years ago,
and through this systematic breeding the
hitherto considered untamable hare has
become one of the most docile, prolific and
valuable food producers.
The old proverb, 1.-The survival OF the Mt
test" had heretofore been the source
from which sprung our improved plants
by constant cultivation and selecting the
best and most vigorous plants or seeds
as stock for propagating have our best
cereals and food plants gradually lost
their original inferior or even deleterious
characteristics uniting them for human
food until they have reached their pres
ent conditions OF superiority. Nature
had in these instances been but little
aided by man, accident OF more robust
and productive points having usually
caused their retention, for centuries many
of our horticultural and agricultural pro-
ducts had remained almost stationary
and improvement was slow. Even today
some OF our fruits are little better than
they were when Pliny and other ancient
writers described them 1900 years ago.
The first instances on record where q
systematic plan was conceived for i'm
proving fruits was less than a century
ago when Mr.. Thomas Knight, OF Eng
land, began experimenting by cross breed
ing pears and other fruits. He took the
pollen Of a highly favored pear and
secondated the flower OF another variety
OF larger size or peculiar habit of growth
and thus produced fruit combining the
best points OF both parents.
There are very few OF the fruits pro-
duced by Mr.. Knight in cultivation at this
day, but he inaugurated what is called
knights theory or system which
forms the basis OF the present methods
"a RAoAAA DANCaAA6 " SAOoS ROAACA0AAo%As
The other system was followed by Pro-
lessor Van Mons, OF Belgium, who early
In the last century began the Improvement
Of fruits by what is known as the 'Natu-
raj system" or by selection. The seed
lings Of the first sowing of seeds which
showed the most vigor and best foliage
and the fewest thorns were selected for
fruit bearing from these the most prom
ising offsprings were again selected and so
on for several generations, the results as
he prophesied, were fruits OF either the
highest quality or almost barren trees as
well as atavism or the immediate rever
sion to the original starting point. From
the experiments of Professor Van Mons
we owe today scores OF our best pears as
well as several apples and other varieties
Of fruits, but the process OF gradual inn
provement by that system is too slow. as
1t required from eight TO twelve years
for some OF the professors Seeding trees
to bear fruit. Other experimenters trust
ed to chance seedlings and while many OF
our excellent fruits. owe their origin to
that plan, we cannot class this as being
scientific.
In the Improvement of our native grapes
many men have achieved good results.
Mr.. Ricketts,, OF New York state, origin
ated numerous varieties by cross pollena-
ton, but as he used mainly the pollen OF
foreign varieties. the cross breed off,
springs showed too much foreign blood
and few have been retained. DIR. A. P.
Wylie, of Chester, South Carolina, was
more successful. as he experimental with
cross breeding native sorts. One Of the
most remarkable OF these was hybrid
scuppernong, being produced by crossing
the Delaware with the scuppernong The
plant instead of producing from six to
eight berries together, yielded at each
point a bunch Of pink colored grapes re-
sembling the Delaware both In appear
ance and quality. This true hybrid was
never disseminated by DR.. Wylie and Is
now supposed to be lost which is unfor-
tunate, as II was unquestionably the most
valuable cross bred grape ever produced
for the south.
While plant breeding not only gives US
new forms in fruits and vegetables, 1t also
offers an opportunity in testing their re-
sistance to diseases. 1t is well known to
all horticulturists that some fruits or
plants which a generation ago were con-
sidered as nearest to perfection, can no
longer be successfully grown, either owing
to a gradual decline in their constitution
or liability to fungous diseases which did
not then exist Newer and more robust
forms must therefore take the place OF our
former favorites and here is where sys-
tematic plant breeding comes to our aid.
To the amateur experimenter this offers
q most interesting anu aDSOIDiA6 lHAcAcctf
because there is no limit to its possibili-
ties, and wonderful surprises are in store
for him who discriminates in the hybridi-
zation Of plants. But let it be understood
that while the term naturalization Is COM
monty used there is a vast difference be-
tween a plant produced by crossing close
~ allied species where natural affinity
exists and which is termed a cross and
susceptible Of reproducing itself from
seed and a true hybrid which cannot be
perpetuated from seeds, but only from
cuttings or gratis For instance. Or.
wylie's hybrid scuppernong never yielded
fertile seeds, or did Luther Burbank's
strawberry raspberry hybrid. which he
states that out Of seven or eight hundred
of these curious hybrids not one has ever
produced a berry. though blooming with
the greatest profusion," there being In
both instances an absence Of pollen to fer
tilize the oyaries-
The commercial plant breeder, aside
from the qualification in producing new
creations. finds his pursuit often exceed
ingly remunerative. To Luther Burbank,
of Santa Rosa. Cal, belongs the credit
of having created more new forms OF
fruits and flowers than any other expert
menter either in America or Europe. His
cross bred Japanese plums have made