September 8, 1868. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICDLTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



1(;3 



BLENDING SPECIES AND VARIETIES 

 BY GR.VFTING. 



HE notes and articles wliicli liave from time 

 to time appeared in the Journal on the in- 

 fluence which the stock exercises on the 

 graft, and the graft on the stock, have always 

 seemed to me deeply interesting, as tending 

 to throw some light upon an allied subject 

 which has hitherto been, and to all appear- 

 ance will for some time continue to be, 

 wrapped up in no little mystery. The idea 

 of cross-breeding by the direct intermixture of the cellular 

 matter of different species or varieties is, I believe, gene- 

 rally scouted by scientific men as a chimera and a dream, 

 seemingly supported by some curious phenomena, but alto- 

 gether at variance with the laws of vegetable physiology ; 

 it is, however, an old one, and on that account, if on no 

 other, is entitled to some consideration. 



Bacon, in his " New Atlantis," makes the governor of 

 the model community of Bensalem say, " We have also 

 means to make divers plants rise, by mixtures of earths, 

 without seeds ; and likewise to make divers new plants 

 diil'ering from the vulgar, and to make one tree or plant 

 turn into anotlier ; " and in a footnote referring to this 

 passage, by whom I know not, is the following : — " I have 

 nowhere seen so remarkable a proof of what may be effected 

 in this way as in tlie gardens of Boghos Be}', at Alexan- 

 dria, where I was shown a very extraordinary fruit tree, 

 produced by a process highl}' ingenious. They take three 

 seeds — the Citron, the Lemon, and the Orange — and care- 

 fully removing the external cuticle from both sides of one 

 of them, and from one side of the two others, place the 

 former between the latter, and, binding the three together 

 with fine grass, plant them in the earth. From this mixed 

 seed springs a tree, the fruit of which exhibits three dis- 

 tinct species included within one rind, the division being 

 perfectly visible externally, and the flavour of each com- 

 partment as different as if it had grown on a separate tree. 

 This method of producing a tripartite fruit has been intro- 

 duced by Boghos Bey from Smyrna, his native city, where 

 it is said to have been practised from time immemorial." 

 (Bacon's "Essays." Bohn's edition, p. 2'.)!).) 



Accustomed as we are to regard Egypt as a land of 

 wonders, this is, perhaps, more than any who are ac- 

 quainted with the internal conformation of these seeds 

 wiU accept. I must confess to having twice attempted the 

 first part of this experiment, and in both cases putrefaction 

 of the middle seed, and only partial development of the 

 seed leaves of the two outer ones, were the results. But as 

 the cause of failure in my case may not have been the 

 impossibility of the thing itself, to any wlio wish to make 

 it, the experiment is easy, and the seeds of the Apple or 

 Pear would seem to be as suitable for it as those named. 



In the less highly organised seeds or spores of Ferns, 

 Mosses, or Fungi, the amalgamation of two species would 

 appear not so wonderful, as in these the rudiments of root 

 and stem ai-e not to be found, but it has never been proved 

 that they have done so accidentally, and the nicety of 



No. 388.-V0I. XV., Kew Sbjueb. 



manipulation required to unite them as the astute Mussel- 

 man did the Orange seeds precludes the possibility of its 

 ever being accomplished artificially. 



So seeds as subjects for experiments of this kind may be 

 set altogether aside. My humble belief, however, is that 

 with buds the case is dillerent. If we have not already 

 proofs that by the agency of fliese the distinctive marks 

 and qualities of dilibrent plants may be blended together, 

 we have at least received some few hints that such an end 

 is attainable. One of these is the oft-cited instance of the 

 Purple Laburnum, the history of which is so well known 

 that it need not be here repeated, and though it is an 

 exceptional case, purely accidental, and may never occur 

 again, it yet confirms the principle that the undefinable 

 something — call it what you wiU — which constitutes the 

 individuality of a species can be broken in upon and 

 changed by means more decided, but less natural, than 

 those employed by the hybridist. 



Every propagator knows that the emission of roots is 

 nearly always preceded by the formation of a callosity at 

 the base of the cutting. Tliis is composed of soft cellular 

 matter, and from the "first seems capable of performing in 

 some degree the functions of roots proper, absorbing mois- 

 ture, and carrying nourishment to the cutting. In a few 

 days, or weeks, according to circumstances, the develop- 

 ment of this substance ceases, roots are thrown out, and 

 the plant begins to grow. Now, it appears probable that 

 if two cuttings pre^■iclusly joined together by inarching can 

 be made to produce one callosity, we may reasonably expect 

 that some of the roots emitted from it must be common to 

 both. Some years ago, when a young man, I was im- 

 pressed with this notion, and made a few experiments for 

 the purpose of testing its correctness. To describe them 

 all would, for the most part, be to write a chapter of 

 failures : therefore one which was nut entirely a failure 

 will suffice. 



Two Myrtles were selected— the Small-leaved and the 

 Dutch — several pairs of the half-ripened shoots from each 

 were brouglit togetlier, and grafted by approach. Those 

 pah-s which united were taken off about the bottom of 

 the splice, and inserted as cuttings. Instead of a pot a 

 small Iiox with a glass side was used, so that by placing 

 the cuttmgs close beside it the rooting process could be 

 easily watched. After a long time a slight callosity was 

 formed entirely round the base of each double cutting, with 

 no perceptible break underneath the part where the two 

 were joined together. In the case of one to which I would 

 more particularly refer, these were the points where the 

 callosity first began to make its appearance, and where it 

 was afterwards more fully developed than elsewhere. Be- 

 fore the roots were emitted tlie cutting was taken out, and 

 the cellular matter carefully removed from each side of the 

 base, leaving it only at those parts mentioned, the object 

 being to procure roots only from what was supposed to be 

 compound alburnum. These were produced after another 

 long interval, and then the Siamese-twin cutting began 

 to gi-ow rapidly. When well rooted it was placed in a 

 small pot, and the collar was elevated above the rim a little 

 more so than is generally done in potting young Heaths. 



No. low.— Vol. XL., Old Series. 



