Influence of t/tc ■Sloc/e on f?ie Scion, and yice ycrsa. 357 



walls, thus forms a compact mass of wood, and the bud or graft has taken, which 

 ultimately forms the future tree. 



A bud is, in fact, an embryo tree. It contains within its protective covering all 

 the elements of tree growth, with all the organs of vegetation and reproduction 

 intact. Therefore, when a bud is inserted beneath the bark of another plant, the 

 cellular growth at once takes place on both sides, these unite by their outside walls, 

 and the so-called sap commences to circulate in the inter-cellular passages from one 

 to the other. It is, therefore, no wonder that certain peculiarities embraced in the 

 root may be found developing in the scion or top, and vice, versa. That the scion is 

 enabled to reproduce its kind, is due to the fact that its young growth is merely an 

 increase of cells already formed, and the variations alluded to at the commencement 

 of this paper are the result of constant currents of sap flowing between the two 

 remote portions of the tree, and at the same time imbuing the one with certain 

 marked characters, contained previously in the other. 



Thus, in a somewhat hurried, and I fear very imperfect manner, I have alluded to 

 the influence of the stock upon the scion, and vice versa. 



This interesting subject is by no means all theory, as many suppose, but is the 

 result, for the most part, of close examination by means of the powerful lens. 

 Future investigation will, undoubtedly, reveal many novel features which we now 

 know not of, and to accomplish this fully, the patient student of horticulture is 

 asked to join the botanist in the pleasant task. 



But there is another and more popular aspect to this subject — the relative advan 

 tages of certain stocks for particular species of plants. Under this heading, we may 

 take for example the plum worked on the peach. Prejudice and distrust, on the 

 part of many cultivators, have done this operation great injustice. To the owner of 

 a heavy soil, where the plum root thrives luxuriantly, peaches should be planted 

 with caution ; but, on the other hand, in the great peach districts, with a light 

 mellow soil, the peach root will succeed far better than the plum. Peaches always 

 make a large number of strong fibrous roots, and return to the top a vast amount of 

 nutrition. The junction in certain varieties of plum on peach roots is perfect, and 

 the tree is long-lived and healthy. 



The testimony of some of our most noted pcmologists go to show that the practice 

 is correct, and a careful examination plainly indicates that the theory is faultless 

 as well. 



The subject of dwarfing fruit trees is not properly understood. The pear worked 

 on quince roots certainly dwarfs the tree to a certain extent, and for a few years, but 

 is the process caused by some inherent property contained in the quince ? We 

 think not. Once allow the pear to throw out a few roots above the point of junction, 

 and the tree becomes a standard. The abundance of sap or nourishment gathered 

 up by the roots and forwarded to the top, causes in most cases a larger and finer 

 growth of fruit, thus showing that the quince is adapted to these kinds ; but take an 

 uncongenial variety, and mark the result. The fruit is often in such cases worthless. 

 Years ago we were told that budding cherries on the Mahaleb stock would cause the 

 trees to become dwarf. Little did these propagators know that when they annually 

 pruned their trees, this was what dwarfed them, and not the root. The junction iu 



