1825.] 
bravura, or a pirouette—than about the 
systems of Smith and Ricardo, or the 
philosophy of a La Place, a Poisson, 
or a Sir Humphrey Davy. -Take my 
advice, therefore, and do not turn up 
your nose at Signor Locatilli, or, your’s, 
&e. An Enemy to Foor-Lamps. 
———_—————- 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
EX a morning paper of this day, I met 
with the following horticultural pa- 
ragraph, which brings to mind some 
recollections, perhaps, not unworthy of 
a corner in your very useful miscellany : 
“ There is now-in the garden at the 
English academy in Kilkenny, a singular 
natural curiosity. A twig, of sixteen or 
eighteen inches in length, had been indis- 
criminately picked up, last autumn, and 
thrust into the earth, for the purpose of 
sustaining a carnation. It proves to have 
been a lopping from an apple-tree; and 
though not thicker than a pipe shank, is 
now in full blossom, and like to bear fruit. 
—Quere. From this operation of nature, is 
it possible to propagate fruit-trees without 
the labour and uncertainty of grafting ?” 
Upon what authority the above phe- 
nomenon is stated, does not appear ; but 
there is nothing in it to startle credu- 
lity. The fact is very far from being as 
singular as the writer seems to suppose. 
The instances, perhaps, may be only of 
local notoriety—perhaps only of local 
occurrence, As far as I have ever 
heard, such facts have reference only 
to a few particular species. 
In an orchard, part ofa farm I for- 
merly occupied at Llyswen, in Breck- 
nockshire, on the banks of the Wye, 
there were three different species of 
apple-trees that, according to the tradi- 
tion of the neighbourhood, might. be 
propagated ;by slips, without either 
inoculation, or grafting. One, the Priory 
Apple, in size and colour very like the 
golden pippin, and in form also, only 
that it was longer from nose to stick : 
neither was it equal in flavour; though 
still a very good eating apple. . This 
I never remember to have met. with 
but in that neighbourhood. The other 
two were called the Flax Apple, and 
the Corn Apple; so named from’ the 
respective seasons of their becoming 
ripe: both of them, especially the for- 
mer, very beautiful to the eye, both in 
shape and colour; and not less pleasing 
to the palate; the Flax Apple, when 
in full perfection, and fresh from, the 
tree, having more. of the flavour.of the 
sweet-water grape than any thing of the 
apple kind I ever tasted... It was also 
capable of being kept for a long time, 
Propagation of Apple- Trees by Slips. 
dll 
if carefully gathered, before it was too 
ripe, and cautiously stored. I remem- 
ber to have sent a box full of them, in 
perfect preservation and undiminished 
beauty, to a friend in London, in the 
middle of the month of May. They 
made also a very delicious cider; but 
which would not keep its flavour be- 
yond blossoming time; when it generally 
began to prick, as it is called. This, 
perhaps, might be prevented by the 
practice which, in America, is called 
making Cider Wine: that is to say, by 
boiling the cider, after it is made, till 
about one-third of the quantity (i:e. of 
the watery particles) be evaporated, 
This might be worth the experiment, 
at least in the neighbourhood: where 
this apple mostly grows. © It is) worthy 
of note, however, that I never met with 
it in the perfection of its flavour, even 
at the distance of twenty miles) from 
the spot lam speaking of, and to which 
it seeins to be native. I should ‘not 
forget, in this account of it, the extreme 
beauty anda peculiar fragrance: of) its 
blossom, which sheds a sert: of spicy 
odour through the orchardsowhere it 
flourishes, such as I neveryremember to 
have witnessed from the bloom/of other 
species of apple. :9 
I cannot pretend to. have verified the 
fact of the propagation by slips of either 
of the three apples I have mentioned, 
through actual personal’. experiment 5 
the tenour upon which I held my farm 
being too brief and: precarious’ for cex- 
periments. of this kind. : But, when: I 
took the farm, there was a small 
healthy-looking. plant, evidently.not 
grafted, growing in the house:orchard, 
which the previous tenant, the remain- 
der of whose term I had taken, told me 
was a slip (not a cutting). of the. Flax 
Apple, which had been stuck into the 
ground, I think he said the year before, 
** just,” to use his words, “as you would 
stick a slip of willow. into the ground ;” 
and before I quitted the farm, which I 
held but three, or four years, it had 
begun to bear fruit, 
To what extent, with respect to spe- 
cies and to locality of soil, and) with 
what degree of certainty, this propaga- 
tion of fruit-trees by slips might be car- 
ried, experience’ only can‘ascertain. It 
seems, however, to be worthy of more 
experiment than’ has yet been tried; 
and in such point of view, the facts are 
stibmitted to such of your readers, in 
particular, as may happen to, reside, in 
apple countries, by, Sir, your's, &c. 
; QuonDAM. FaRMERs 
31st May 1825. 
