334 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



In 1876 Thomas Meehan, editor of the Gardener's Monthly since its 

 organization, read a paper before the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science held at Buffalo, N. Y. He refers to the fact that an 

 abutilon was caused to send out variegated limbs because a bud from a 

 variegated plant was set in above it. Other cases of a similar character are 

 well known. Mr. Meehan says that a few years before he grafted twelve split- 

 buds; three of each grew. The half of each was a bud of the Rhode Island. 

 Greening and the other half the Red Astrachan. Two of the samples fruited; 

 neither is Rhode Island Greening, and the two are unlike each other; one 

 has a flower like the Rhode Island Greening, but a fruit in many respects like 

 the Red Astrachan. He adds, "There is no doubt but two varieties, distinct 

 from their parents, and distinct from each other, have resulted from this graft 

 process. Some may suppose that the union of a Red Astrachan and a Rhode 

 Island Greening apple should result in producing an exact intermediate, and. 

 that the union of buds in several graft cases should each produce identically 

 the same, and therefore the two distinct varieties from the same process be a 

 surprise. But no two children of the same parents are exactly the same. I 

 am delighted with the scientific results proving that hybrids by bud-grafting is 

 more than a popular delusion." 



Notwithstanding the above statement of Mr. Meehan, most pomologists and 

 botanists believe there is some mistake in the experiments. His conclusions 

 are not generally believed, yet they may be correct. Without more exact 

 experiments, there has been enough said and written on this disputed question. 

 Like the question of wheat turning to chess, there is no end to it. AV'e need, 

 experiments by careful, well-trained observers, and. such only will decide similar 

 mooted points. 



THE NURSERY. 



PLUM ON PEACH ROOTS. 



For a number of years past we have experimented in the way of grafting and 

 sending out each year a few Miner plum trees, root-grafted on seedling peach 

 roots. So far as we have been able to learn, these trees have made less 

 growth than those on wild plum roots, but that they have come into early 

 bearing, and have proved very satisfactory aud profitable. Three years ago 

 last spring we put out about forty one-year-old Miner trees worked on peach 

 roots on the College farm. They are now even-sized, round-topped trees, and 

 well loaded with plums, showing little sign of damage by curculio. Miner 

 trees on plum roots set seven years ago on similar soil exhibit their first fruit 

 this year, aud on an average they will give less fruit this year than the three- 

 years-old trees first mentioned. In no case have we heard of damage to the 

 peach roots during our test winters. — College Quarterly. 



