670 



HEALTH AND LONGEVITY OF FRUIT TREES. 



tee the riddance of the pest by means of 

 carbonate of ammonia ; for we have re- 

 moved it ourselves within the week. 



" As to the proportion of carbonate of 

 ammonia, Csmelling salts,) which it is ex- 

 pedient to use, that depends upon its qua- 

 lity. If bought fresh of the wholesale 

 chemist, half an ounce to a quart of water is 



enough ; but it is often much weaker, when 

 the proportion of the salt must be larger. 

 " It has the great merit of being dean 

 and cffec/ual ; besides which, it improves 

 the health of the foliage very much. All 

 the other washes, although they be as 

 powerful, are dirty, and, therefore, objec- 

 tionable in flower gardens," 



**«>»> — 



HEALTH AND LONGEVITY OF FRUIT TREES. 



BY DR ESHLEMAN, DOWNINGTOWN, PA. 



It is now almost universally admitted, that 

 seedling trees retain their health and vigor 

 longer than those produced by the various 

 modes of propagation. It is therefore natu- 

 ral to inquire, why it is so. If the age of 

 the tree whence the scions were obtained, 

 (running out of varieties,) is assigned, we 

 naturally answer, the original seedling still 

 stands in green old age, while numbers of 

 its engrafted progeny have passed into the 

 " sere and yellow leaf." The stock exerts 

 an influence upon the scion, and if it be 

 diseased, the duration of the tree will be 

 diminished. This is satisfactory, so far as 

 it goes ; but we are writing about healthy 

 stocks. Both may be healthy, but their 

 vascular system, or their whole organiza- 

 tion differs, and consequently, there is some 

 impediment to the free circulation of the 

 fluids, and disease follows. It is barely pos- 

 sible, that this cause should produce a con- 

 stitu'.ional taint, which should operate so 

 slowly as only to show its effects in twenty 

 or thirty years. But vascular structure and 

 aestivation, are better tests of varieties, than 

 difference of size and general external con- 

 figuration ; and the fact of a scion growing 

 well upon a stock, is demonstrative evidence 

 of similarity of structure, — at least not dif- 



ferent enough to be a common cause of 

 disease. 



Is there not reason to believe, that a more 

 fertile cause than all these, may be found 

 in the usual clumsy mode of propagation ? 

 Some insert their scions on pieces of roots 

 in the cleft manner, Avithout regard to the 

 thickness of either : others transplant their 

 seedlings, removing some of the roots, al- 

 low them to grow one or more years, and 

 cleft graft near the surface of the earth : 

 and yet others, prefer budding their trans- 

 planted seedlings. Who cannot perceive, 

 that in either case, great injury is done the 

 stalk. Especially is the second objection- 

 able, if the seedling have made a vigorous 

 growth and attained the size of one-half 

 or three-quarter inches in diameter. Ex- 

 cision, cleaving and inserting a scion one- 

 eighth or one-twelfth that size, must pro- 

 duce more injury and exposed surface, than 

 its vital energy can ever repair, and all the 

 wax and shellac solution cannot prevent it. 



If in connection with the foregoing, we 

 take into account the beautiful theory of 

 Prof. Turner, of the vitality of that part 

 of the tree upon which this mutilation is 

 generally inflicted, is it not strange, that 

 trees after having repaired, in a measure, 



