450 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



trees resulting from grafting can not be said to be due wholly to dimin- 

 ished vigor and not at all to debility. Rather, the scion takes on the 

 size, form and somewhat the peculiarities in habit of growth of the 

 stock. Thus, the scraggly Red Canada and Winter Nellis Avorked on 

 Northern Spy, assume, somewhat, not wholly. Spy characteristics of 

 growth; the pear on quince takes the size of the quince; the apple on 

 Paradise or Doucin, the size and form of these stocks ; a Montmorency 

 cherry worked on a Mahaleb simulates the form of the Mahaleb; on a 

 Mazzard, the form of the Mazzard. 



Second— The adaptability of a species or a variety to a soil may be 

 changed by the stock. Thus peaches when Avorked on plums may do 

 well on heavy soils where on their own roots they would be worthless. 

 Conversely the plum can be adapted to light soils hy working on the 

 peach, thriving still better on the Myrobalan in most soils. The almond 

 is often preferable to the peach as a stock for peaches in irrigated lands. 

 The Mahaleb is sometimes better than the INIazzard for cherries in 

 shallow or in wet soils. These are but a few illustrations ; many more 

 might be cited if multiplication served a purpose. Possibly thi.s is the 

 most important of the favorable influences of the stock on the scion, for 

 through it many fruits can be grown in unfavorable soils which would 

 not thrive, in some cases would not live, on their own roots. The use of 

 stocks to overcome adversities of soils, in my opinion, demands much 

 more attention from fruit growers than it has had. 



Third — Through the stock a plant may be made to endure an in- 

 compatible climate. It would be quite too much to say that hardiness 

 as an inherent quality is transmitted from the stock to the scion, but 

 it is very certain that the increase in vigor imparted by some stocks to 

 the scion gives greater hardiness to the grafted plant. In the case of 

 late growing apples worked on Hibernal or Oldenburg stocks, greater 

 hardiness results from the fact that the scion matures earlier that it 

 would upon its oavtl roots and is thereby better able to withstand the 

 winter. So, too, there is earlier ripening of wood and greater hardi- 

 ness when the sweet orange is worked on the sour orange. Again, the 

 slight obstructions to the flow of sap imposed more or less by the union 

 of the different tissues of stock and scion may cause the scion to ripen 

 earlier and thus bring about greater hardiness. Some plants, as the 

 peach, must have a warm soil bottom heat— and therefore in cold 

 climates the peach does better on the plum, which thrives in cold soils, 

 than on its own roots. There are still other adaptions to climate for 

 which we can offer no explanation. 



Fourth— The stock, if diseased, may impart the disease to the scion. 

 Such is the case when peach stocks infested with peach yellows or little 

 peach are budded with healthy buds. The classical illustration of the 

 conveyance of disease by grafting is that of variegation in foliage which 

 usually passes from the scion to the stock. A^ariegation is a phenomenon 

 possibly brought about by mal-nutrition, or, according to some, by the 

 formation of some chemical substance which passes from scion to stock. 



Fifth— The productiveness of the tree is often increased by the 

 stock, paradoxically enough, either by increasing the vigor of the 

 plant or by decreasing it. Trees sometimes fail to fruit well because 

 of too much wood growth, in which case grafting on a less vigorous 

 stock checks growth and makes the plant more productive ; thus we may 



