APRIL. 117 



Some observations on grafting were made on this occasion by the 

 Vice-Secretary. He began (says the Gardeners' C/ironkle) by 

 stating that grafting often occurs naturally, as is instanced by branches, 

 fruits, and even petals of flowers in close contact, and «nder certain 

 conditions growing together, and went on to show that such accidents 

 had doubtless led to effecting the same thing artificially. It is in 

 reality, he said, the property of all living vegetable tissues to form per- 

 manent adhesions under certain circumstances. Veri/ young or nascent 

 tissue may be made to grow together with facility, as is exemplified in 

 practice by what is called herbaceous grafting. Ripe tissues were next 

 alluded to ; but even in the case of these it was shown that a union 

 could only be effected by bringing into contact nascent matter, which 

 practically consists in fitting the line of the cambium in the stock 

 neatly to that of the scion, or in other words fitting the two together 

 exactly. If this manipulation was not effected skilfully, the union, 

 it was stated, would be imperfect, as would also be the case if the 

 stock was broader than the scion. It was mentioned that some 

 believe that the scion sends down wood into the stock, but that 

 this theory was attended by many difficulties. The point had been 

 illustrated by Dr. Maclean, of Colchester, who grafted a yellow Beet on 

 a red one ; when the two were split down the middle after they had 

 been united, it was found that the yellow Beet still remained yellow, 

 and that the red kind on which it was grafted still remained red. In 

 this case there was no blending together of the tissues ; the two varieties 

 kept quite distinct. Cellular tissue, it was stated, would not unite with 

 wood, nor wood with wood ; with unskilful operators and the employ- 

 ment of unsuitable stocks, bad joints were therefore of frequent occur- 

 rence. Although the scion was not of the same nature as the stock, 

 there might be adhesion ; but the line of separation between the two 

 would always remain distinct, and in bad cases it not unfrequently 

 happened that the two parted company across the line of union. 

 Nevertheless, when stock and scion were alike in kind and constitution, 

 as when a Pear is grafted on a Pear, and the workmanship well per- 

 formed, all traces of their having been grafted disappeared. It was 

 stated that under proper conditions adhesions might therefore be per- 

 manent and perfect, and that grafting might result in as complete a 

 plant as any seedling. Of this various proofs were produced. It was 

 shown, however, that adhesions might be temporary either from bad 

 workmanship or from want of consanguinity. The ancients, it was 

 stated, were of opinion that Apples would grow on Plane-trees, and 

 Beechmast on Chestnuts ; but it was explained that this was a mistake, 

 and that no permanent union could take place unless stock and scion 

 had the same constitution. Sometimes durable unions might be effected, 

 as was instanced in the case of Pears on Quinces and Peaches on Plums ; 

 but they were not permanent. Evergreen trees, it was stated, did not 

 succeed on deciduous ones, in illustration of which an example of 

 Quercus Turneri ^vorked on the common Oak was produced ; the ever- 

 green in this case had grown 13 or 14 years, but was now dead, while 

 the stock was alive and throwing out suckers. Similar cases, with 

 nearly as bad results, were also laid before the meeting. But what, it 



