CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



which to graft good apples. The notice of this 

 fact leads to a consideration of what are the 

 radical principles on which improvement is effected 

 by grafting. On this intricate subject we subjoin 

 the explanations of Dr Lindley : ' In proportion 

 as the scion and stock approach each other closely 

 in constitution, the less effect is produced by the 

 latter ; and, on the contrary, in proportion to the 

 constitutional difference between the stock and 

 the scion, is the effect of the former important. 

 Thus when pears are grafted or budded on the 

 wild species, apples upon crabs, plums upon plums, 

 and peaches upon peaches or almonds, the scion 

 is, in regard to fertility, exactly in the same state 

 as if it had not been grafted at all ; while, on the 

 other hand, a great increase of fertility is the result 

 of grafting pears upon quinces, peaches upon 

 plums, apples upon white-thorn, and the like. In 

 these latter cases, the food absorbed from the 

 earth by the root of the stock is communicated 

 slowly and unwillingly to the scion ; under no cir- 

 cumstance is the communication between the one 

 and the other as free and perfect as if their natures 

 had been more nearly the same ; the sap is 

 impeded in its ascent, and the proper juices are 

 impeded in their descent, whence arises that 

 accumulation of secretion which is sure to be 

 attended with increased fertility. No other in- 

 fluence than this can be exercised by the stock 

 upon the scion. Those who fancy that the con- 

 trary takes place that the quince, for instance, 

 communicates some portion of its austerity to the 

 pear can scarcely have considered the question 

 physiologically, or they would have seen that the 

 whole of the food communicated from the alburnum 

 of the quince to that of the pear is in nearly the 

 same state as it was when it entered the roots of 

 the former. Whatever elaboration it undergoes 

 must necessarily take place in the foliage of the 

 pear where, far from the influence of the quince, 

 secretions natural to the ^variety go on with no 

 more interruption than if the quince formed no 

 part of the system of the individual' It must be 

 kept in view, however, that we have no very satis- 

 factory course of experiments on record to shew 

 the precise reciprocal influences of the graft and 

 stock. For an instructive discussion of the sub- 

 ject, see Dr Lindley's paper in The Gardeners' 

 Chronicle of the 6th of June 1857. 



The season for grafting is about the middle of 

 March, when the sap is rising and the buds 

 beginning to swell. The grafting should not take 

 place immediately on cutting the scion : after 

 removal from its parent stem, place it in the 

 ground for a few days, so that it may be partially 

 exhausted of its juices, and be more ready to 

 receive the ascending sap from the stock. Keep 

 it in dry ground, and not exposed to the sun. A 

 scion may be brought safely from a distance by 

 being stuck in a raw potato. Before applying to 

 the stock, cut the extremity of the scion afresh. 



Tongue-grafting, by which a tongue or slice 

 raised in the sloping cut of the scion is inserted in 

 a corresponding notch of the stock, is the more 

 common method. The young stem of the stock 

 is cut across, so that the scion which is added 

 forms the stem of the future tree. The cut in both 

 pieces requires to be smooth, and the joining so 

 neat, that the- inner or liber bark on one side 

 of the scion must be even with that of the stock. 

 Having joined the two pieces, bandage them 



578 



with a flat strip of mat, but not so tightly as to 

 prevent circulation or the expansion of the scion. 

 Over the bandage, plaster all round with a handful 

 of clay and horse-dung well mixed together, taking 

 care not to disturb the united edges. This mass 

 will form a hardened lump, and may remain till the 

 young growth has pushed four to six inches ; and 

 when the union has become complete, it should be 

 taken off, and the graft tied to a stake, so as to 

 prevent its being broken by wind. 



For an account of the process of budding, 

 which is analogous to grafting, we refer to the 

 number on THE FLOWER-GARDEN, page 564. 



Inarching, or grafting by approach, is an in- 

 genious mode of grafting, by which one growing 

 plant, without removal, is made to strike upon 

 another plant, and thus form a union. It may be 

 performed in various ways, as represented below. 



For example, two branches of a tree (a) may be 

 bent so as to meet and strike upon a wound in the 

 main stem, by which a gap will be filled up ; one 

 growing tree (b) either from the ground or a pot, 

 may be led to unite with another ; or several 

 suckers (c) may be led from the ground archwise 

 to strike upon a point in the stem, thus bringing 

 fresh aid to the productive part of the tree. By 

 means such as these, hedges are sometimes 

 formed like a network, so as to combine lightness 

 in appearance with their protective qualities. 



CULTURE OF FRUIT-TREES. 



The Apple. 



The apple-tree is believed to have been in- 

 troduced into Britain by the Romans. It was 

 much cultivated in the gardens of monasteries 

 during the middle ages, and from that source 

 the greater number of our varieties have their 

 origin. The apple-tree, if favoured by a good 

 soil and climate, will live to a great age, two 

 hundred years being not an unusual duration in 

 a fruit-bearing condition. Some orchard apple- 

 trees now existing in Herefordshire are said to be 

 a thousand years old, while others were brought 

 over by the Normans in the time of William 

 the Conqueror. 



The varieties of cultivated apples are now in- 

 numerable, several thousands being described in 

 catalogues, but all may be classed into three 

 groups namely, apples for the fable, or to be eaten 

 raw ; apples suitable for baking and other culinary 

 purposes ; and apples for cider. Table-apples are 

 again subdivided into those which will keep, and 



