INDIANA HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 463 



There is no change of variety, it is simply due to environment. I 

 have hardly made a fair investigation along these lines, but this is the 

 way I think now. The difference in the Ben Davis, here and there, is due 

 to the immediate surroundings. The stocli does not in the least change 

 the nature of the Yellow Transparent, and I shouldn't think it would 

 change the quality of the Ben Davis. We have a number of varieties 

 being tested along on this line. One of these trees was brought into 

 bearing quicker because tlie wire on the label had cut into it. 



President Stevens: Are there any other questions? 



Mr. Lafuse: If it will not be influenced by the stock on which 

 it is grafted. I want to know whether it would not be probable 

 that that would be the way to improve our fruit, to select 

 scions from trees that we know bore superior fruit? Some years ago we 

 had a half dozen Rambos in our orchard, and one of the trees, in partic- 

 ular, bore fruit almost double the size of the other, and they were soft 

 and juicy, while the others seemed to be hard, and not so palatable. 



Mr. Smith: I have a case in point also. A man in Hancock County 

 gvafted a quince into a pear, and a pear into a qufnce, and a quince 

 into a pear again for six consecutive graftings, and the twig bore quinces 

 to all intents and purposes, so far as shape was concerned, but the 

 fruit was perfectly dry, with no resemblance whatever to either the 

 quince or the pear. 



President Stevens: That is contrary to your experiments, isn't it, Mr. 

 ^Burton? 



Mr. Bin-ton: My idea is that the root or stock is the same to the 

 fruit as the wagon that delivers the wheat to the' mill is to the flour. 

 If the wagon brings wheat of a good quality to the mill, the mill will 

 make good flour. If it brings an inferior quality there will be inferior 

 flour, and not much of it. The stock does nothmg but nourish the fruit. 

 Of course, it must do that. If the root furnishes more food, of course 

 the apples will be larger. An apple will not grow without food. If a 

 tree will not supply it, it will die. In regard to a ti-ee being grafted, 

 and grafted and grafted, it can not get much nourishment there. 



Mr. Little: We have always been taught by experience that fruits 

 are very closely allied, but the idea of pears growing on hickory or walnut 

 trees is a new one to me. I can not believe it. Several years ago a 

 neighbor told me he saw a black haw growing on an apple. I said that 

 he must be mistaken, for I knew it could hardly be true. He knew it 

 must be true, for he knew the man that grafted it, and all about it. I 

 did not believe it, although the man was a very truthful man. We agreed 

 to go and see it, and we did go, for I didn't have faith in his word. I 



