140 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Five years later ' Mr. Meehan is reported as saying that after regrafting 

 his " graft hybrids " on bearing trees, the only difference between them 

 and other Red Astrachans was that the flowers were pink instead of white. 

 The fruit did not vary more than in common grafting. 



The case of the so-called trifacial orange, said to have been produced by 

 artificially splitting and uniting the seeds taken from three distinct varie- 

 ties, is referred to elsewhere. Probably no amount of testimony would 

 convince a botanist that such a result was possible. 



In the Gardeners' Chronicle for 1871, page 341, a lemon is mentioned 

 in which two of the cells or " quarters" are filled with sweet juice, while 

 the remainder contained acid juice as usual. There is no testimony in 

 this case as to there having been any grafting or cross-fertilization. Many 

 such cases are attributed to " graft hybridization," but iu this instance no 

 such cause was claimed. 



GRAFTING POTATOES. 



A favorite experiment with some is the grafting together of portions of 

 potato tubers of different varieties in the attempt to produce " graft 

 hybrids." Mention of such experiments has been made in preceding sec- 

 tions. The usual method is to cut out the eyes from a tuber of one 

 variety and insert in their places eyes taken from a tuber of a different 

 variety. It is believed by many that by this means tubers will be formed 

 partaking of the character of both varieties. It is said " on very good 

 authority," '"' that several of the best varieties grown in England were 

 produced in this way. 



In the Gardeners' Chronicle, for 1882 (vol. XVIII, p. 560), is an account 

 of the production of a new variety of potato by Herr Reuter of Germany, 

 by grafting. Grafts from tubers of the White Mexican were inserted into 

 tubers of Black Kidney. From eight tubers so treated he obtained two 

 " hybrid " specimens which have since been propagated, and which are 

 intermediate in form and color between the above named varieties. In the 

 same connection is quoted an observation of Herr Rimpau in which he 

 says: " I have myself taken a stock of a white color and grafted on it an 

 eye of a red variety, and among the produce of the two potatoes I found 

 several pure representatives of the variety from which the scion was taken, 

 a few of the stock variety, and in addition I found five tubers which I con- 

 sider as intermediate between the stock and the hybrid (scion?) with regard 

 to color." 



In the Gardeners' Chronicle for 1886, vol. XXV, p. 54, W. G. Smith 

 gives the result of planting 48 plug-grafted potatoes of several varieties, 

 for the purpose of determining whether intermediate forms could be 

 obtained by that method. In every case the tubers produced were of 

 unusual form, in some of the cases intermediate between the varieties 

 grafted. In the same volume, page 180, this writer, after describing and 

 figuring his plug-grafted potatoes, says: " The produce may not be a 

 hybrid character. I never implicitly believe in anything." 



In the same journal, for 1873, page 1015, it is stated that dwarfing of 

 the haulm was the general result of grafting together the tubers of two 

 varieties of the potato. 



1 Country Gentleman. 1881, p. 310. 



2 The Garden, vol. VIII, 1S75. p. 31S. 



