HEALTH AND LONGEVITY OF FRUIT TREES. 



571 



these injuries, shou'd live so long? What 

 would be thought of the skill of a surgeon, 

 who in performing an operation, should 

 leave exposed fifteen-sixteenths of a cut 

 surface to heal by the natural method of 

 granulation and cicatrization ? Would not 

 such practice, from its want of success, and 

 constitutional effect upon the patient, de- 

 serve contempt ? And should not a si ;,ilar 

 practice in vegetable operations, when at- 

 tended by similar results, and loss to pur- 

 chasers of such mulilaled stumps, meet 

 with equal reprobation ? And yet stocks 

 one inch in diameter, four feet from the 

 ground, have been at that point cut off", 

 cleft, a small scion inserted, which grew 

 eight or ten inches, and the ensuing antumn 

 sent out by the " proprietors of nurseries 

 at Flushing," at the very i::oderate price of 

 thirt3'-seven dollars per hundred. 



A muchbetter method than these — though 

 less expeditious, and consequently less popu- 

 lar, because we like to grow potatoes, yea ! 

 and apples too, as well as talk by electricity 

 — would be to select good seedling stocks, 

 scions of the same size, uniting them in 

 the splice or whip method,* or rather a 

 combination of the two ; apply some melt- 

 ed wax,t and it is done ; or wrap them 

 tightly with some destructible substance. 

 If the union is to be under ground, apply 

 no wax, as it will prevent the decay of said 

 substance, and make a defect. Trees en- 

 grafted carefully in this manner, after two 

 years' growth may be cut in thin longitudi- 

 nal slices, without detecting where the 

 union was effected. 



If the whole theory of Prof. Turner be 

 correct, mine is of less importance, but it is 

 probable that the age of varieties, and 



• See Fruit and Fruit Trees of America, p 15-16. 

 t lb. p. 19. 



whether a scion or single bud be used, has 

 less to do with the premature decay of 

 trees, than the manner of insertion and 

 future treatment. When the bud grows, 

 the main stalk is cut off above, and is a 

 cause of disease in proportion to its thick- 

 ness and the length of time required to 

 " grow over." But even after this partial 

 reparation has taken place, who cannot see 

 that the ascending juices here meet an im- 

 pediment, and are required to adopt a new 

 course, and long before air, moisture and 

 heat have ceased to operate directly upon 

 this offending foreign substance, decom- 

 position has commenced, and consequent- 

 ly deterioration of a portion of the ascend- 

 ing juices, carrying disease through every 

 branch? Nor does it follow, because this 

 diseased condition does not sooner manifest 

 itself, that therefore it cannot thus be pro- 

 duced. Who does not know, that by dry- 

 ing, the destructibility of wood is diminish- 

 ed, but not prevented? Hence the greater 

 durability of the tree with hard wood, if 

 the cut surfaces have been carefully cover- 

 ed. Does not the premature decay of 

 peach trees, even when not affected with 

 the " yellows," confirm this theory ? Let 

 the doubter examine his budded trees at 

 the place [of union, even after five years 

 apparent healthy growth. 



These reflections have been suggested 

 by the examination of a number of trees 

 felled in two orchards during the past 

 autumn and winter. In one the trees were 

 all seedlings, and by their concentric circles 

 indicate fifty year§' growth, perfectly sound 

 to the centre ; the others, grafted trees, 

 about twenty years planted, and invariably 

 decayed at the centre, near the earth. 



J. K. EsHLEMAN, M. D. 

 Lovningtovm,. Pa., May, 1849. 



