WINTER MEETING. 301 



in a learned discussion that would have amounted to the same thing-. 

 A comparatively poor piece of ground will make a fair crop with good 

 cultivation, but the most fertile will fail if weeds are allowed to possess 

 the ground. — American Farmer. 



Grafting the Wild Fruit-trees of America. 



Harvey, Ills., Dec. 4, 1893. 

 J. C. Evans : 



Dear Sir — I recollect of meeting you in the late World's Fair at 

 <i;hicago. You handed me a card inviting me to attend jour State 

 Society meeting. I regret to inform you that it will be impossible for 

 me to be there. However, I will send you a paper, title, *' My Experi- 

 ■ence and Observations in Grafting the Wild Fruit-trees of America." 



My attention has been lately called to an experiment made near 

 this place, of a farmer having a woods pasture partly covered with 

 wild Crab and Eed Haw trees. 



The Crab-trees, some 15 or 20 years ago, he grafted to the apple ; 

 the Eed Haw he grafted to the pear; he grafted them so high up that 

 the animals could not get at the fruit; he has apples and pears in 

 abundance in years when there is any fruit in the neighborhood ; his 

 pears are of the old varieties, such as Bartlett, Flemish Beauty, etc. ; 

 they seem to be free from blight and winter-killing on the Eed Haw. 



At Eome, Peoria county, Illinois, L. Adams has been grafting the 

 Early Eichmond cherry on the Miner and Wild Goose plum stock. He 

 says that they are hardier and bear better than on the cherry stock. 

 I would advise all cherry-growers to use the Marianna plum stock, as 

 it does not sprout at the root. The peach Can be grafted or budded 

 successfully on the wild native plum stock, and make it much hardier 

 and more productive than on the peach root. Our wild native grape- 

 vines can be very easily grafted to our most approved varieties at a 

 very triHing cost. Some 25 years ago we grafted a wild, worthless vine 

 standing in the yard of George Burt, Harvey, III., to the Concord grape. 

 It bore some the next year from grafting. For the last 20 years it has 

 borne all the family could use, and some to giveaway to the neighbors ; 

 $100 would not buy it and have it removed. 



The above experiments are sufficient to convince us that the graft- 

 ing of the wild fruits of America is feasible and practicable. Those 

 wishing to graft the wild crab to the apple, we would recommend that 

 they use largely the scions and buds of the Duchess of Oldenburg, a 



