GRAFTING. 



Ill 



the root-grafted trees. They were as long 

 lived, as healthy, as fruitful, and almost 

 without exception larger, than the natural 

 fruit trees of the same age. 



There may be some slight objections to 

 this method of cultivating trees, but they 

 are not those which have been urged by 

 your correspondents ; and even these ap- 

 ply mainly to the abuse of the system. 

 And until more satisfactory arguments than 

 have yet been published, or than I am ac- 

 quainted with, are produced, I must ap- 

 prove the judicious use of root-grafting. 

 Yours truly, H. E. Hooker. 



Com. Nursery, Rochester, N. Y '., Aug. 7, 1849. 



Remarks. — Many intelligent persons 

 puzzle themselves and others by not rightly 

 understanding the difference between theo- 

 ry and practice ; and many such persons 

 are the correspondents to whom Mr. Hook- 

 er alludes. 



Theoretically, a man is never perfect ; 

 i. e., in sound and healthy physical condi- 

 tion, except in a savage state, where hunt- 

 ing and fishing, and the full use of his 

 bodily powers makes him nearly so, as an 

 animal ; and, theoretically, a tree is never 

 perfect except when it is raised from seed, 

 on the spot where it is finally to grow, be- 

 cause every mutilation of root or branch 

 somewhat shortens its life. 



Practically, however, man is immensely 

 improved, intellectually and morally, by 

 passing out of the savage into the civilized 

 state ; and plants r.re no less improved by 

 a like progress, brought about by cultiva- 

 tion. It is perfectly certain that both men 

 and plants lose something of the original 

 force of their vital powers by civilization 

 and cultivation ; but it is also perfectly 

 certain that no sensible man will prefer to 

 return to the savage state, any more than 

 he would prefer the indulgence of his ani- 



mal passions to his highest intellectual and 

 moral enjoyments. 



The same parallel holds good in the 

 vegetable kingdom, viewed in a horticul- 

 tural point of view. There is no question 

 whatever that the most perfect wild trees, 

 as well as the most perfect ivild men, are 

 produced directly from nature ; but as we 

 are almost as certain that we cannot pro- 

 duce the finest cultivated fruits from seed, 

 as we are that we cannot look for the 

 finest intellectual and moral natures amonor 

 savage tribes, both civilization and cul- 

 tivation are absolutely and equally neces- 

 sary. 



It is useless therefore to say, either that 

 we shall not have schools, or that we shall 

 not have grafting. The only point worth 

 caring for, is that both means of improve- 

 ment are rendered as perfect as possible ; 

 for the end of both is not merelv, as many 

 teachers and cultivators seem to suppose, 

 to obtain good fruits, but to obtain them 

 from a healthy organization. 



Instead, therefore, of wasting time in 

 talking about abandoning all kinds of 

 grafting, and raising all fruit trees from 

 seed, — which is, indeed, the merest moon- 

 shine, — it is the part of wisdom for all good 

 cultivators to set about ascertaining what 

 are the best modes of grafting and bud- 

 ding, what the best stocks, and what the 

 most favorable conditions for maintaining 

 the vital powers of the trees thus propa- 

 gated. 



Four-fifths of all the imprecations that 

 have been bestowed upon grafting and bud- 

 ding, should have more properly been 

 heaped upon those who practice these most 

 beautiful and useful arts badly, by using 

 diseased stocks, and taking grafts from 

 stunted and decaying trees ; or from branch- 

 es of those trees, the vital powers of which 

 had been enfeebled and worn out by over- 



