Mr Knight's doctrine, we may add, seems vow to be established as to fruit-trbes. It may probably be extended to all trees, and even to all the more'per. • fect Mlles of plants ; for the sagacious Philip Miller long ago observed, that herbaceous plants propagat ed by cuttings, became barren in a few years. The importance of acquiring new varieties of our staple fruits from the seed is now, therefore, universally acknowledged ; and as a taste for experimenting in this way is prevalent, we may probably do an ac ceptable service to our readers. in bringing together some of the precautions adopted by the distinguish• ed horticulturist already so often mentioned, and the facilities which have been devised towards success in this interesting branch of gardening.
The seeds to be sown should belong to the finest kinds of fruit, and should be taken from the ripest, largest, and best flavoured specimens of each kind ; for although some crab-apples may result from sow ing the seeds of the nonpareil or the Newtown pip pin, yet from the seeds of such excellent varieties, there is a greater chance of procuring an apple somewhat similar in qualities. Mr Knight took un common pains in order to procure promising seeds : for example, he prepared stocks of the best kinds of apple capable of being propagated by cuttings, and planted these stocks against a wall in a rich soil ; these were next year grafted with the golden pippie..In the course of the following winter, the young trees were raised from the ground, and the roots being shorten ed, they were replanted in the same spot. By this mode of treatment they were brought into a bearing state at the end of two seasons. Only two apples were suffered to remain, on each little tree ; these fruit consequently attained a large size and perfect maturity. The seeds of the apples thus procured were sown, in the hopes of procuring seedlings pos. ' sessed of qualities allied to those of the golden pip. pin; and if these hopes have not yet been real. ized, the success has been sufficient, at least, to en courage to perseverance in similar modes of experi menting.
It may here be mentioned further, that, with the view of producing a variety uniting the good pro perties of two known and highly approved kinds, Mr Knight, Mr Macdonald, and some others, have been at the pains to bring the pollen of the one kind in contact with the pistils of the other. To do this
with proper effect, requires some nicety and caution. Mr Knight opened theamexpanded blossom of the variety destined to be the female parent of the ex- ' peoted progeny, and with Al pair of small-pointed scissors cut away all the stamina while the anthers were yet unripe, taking great care to leave the style and stigmata uninjured. The full blown blossoms of the other variety were afterwards applied. The fruits resulting from such artificial impregnation ' have been of the most promising character s the reeds of these fruits, again, were sown, with the ex. loectation of procuring improved varieties, and there is every reason to think that the expectation will be realized. Mr Knight has often remarked in the progeny, a strong prevalence of the constitution and habits of the female parent : in this country, there fore, in experimenting on pears, the pollen of the more delicate French kinds, as the crasanne, col mar, or ckaumootelie, should be dusted upon the flowers (always deprived of stamina) of the muirfowl egg, the grey schen, the green yair, or others that are hardy or of British origin. By these means, it may be hoped that, in the course of another genera tion, excellent winter pears may be obtained in abundance from our standard trees ; for at present we are nearly destitute of hardy winter pears.
Some persons make a practice of sowing great numbers of seeds, taken indiscriminately. Out of some hundreds of such seedlings, a very few only may prove deserving of any notice. In the ordinary course of nature, the lapse of six or perhaps ten years would be required before the fruit could be seen. But in order to form a general estimate of the character of the seedling trees, it is not neces sary to wait till they actually produce fruit: even in the first season, such an opinion may, to some ex tent, be formed, from the shape and texture of the leaves ; those which are pointed, thin and smooth, promising little ; while those which are blunt or round, thick, and inclined to be downy, promise well. In the second year, these tests are more sa tisfactory ; for the leaves of good kinds improve in the above noticed qualities yearly. Plants whose buds in the new wood are full and prominent, are much to be preferred to those whose buds are small and almost sunk into the bark.