224 GARDEN AND FARM TOPICS. 



For hundreds of years the art of grafting and budding 

 has been practised, the object being to perpetuate varie- 

 ties that could not well be increased by cuttings or layers ; 

 and it had been almost universally believed, until a few 

 years ago, by nurserymen and gardeners, that the stock 

 in no manner affected the individuality of the variety 

 budded or grafted upon it, except to make it stronger or 

 weaker, according to the nature of the stock budded or 

 grafted upon. 



But when Mr. Darwin, in 1868, issued his famous work 

 on " Animals and Plants under Domestication," he started 

 the theory of what is called "graft hybrids," and gave a 

 number of instances, where seemingly there was amalga- 

 mation of the stock and graft. The most important case 

 instanced is where a Mr. Adam inserted a bud of Cytisus 

 purpureus into the Cytisus Laburnum, and the result 

 was that the bud, when it developed, had yellow and 

 purple racemes on different shoots ; on others the pur- 

 ple and yellow were intermingled on the same raceme, 

 and seemingly partook of the nature of both varieties. 

 Another case is instanced of the Bizzaria Orange, which 

 originated two hundred and fifty years ago in France, 

 on which Oranges and Citrons are found on the same 

 tree, distinct, and in some fruits blended. 



Again, he cites various instances where the bud or 

 graft of a variegated plant has the effect of causing 

 variegation in the green-leaved stock. Nearly every 

 gardener is familiar with this. If he takes a green- 

 leaved, white-flowered Abutilon and grafts the Abutilon 

 Thompsonii on it, with its variegated leaves and orange 

 flowers, the variegation will affect the leaves of the white 

 variety, but no other change occurs ; the flowers hold 

 their own shape and color, and in no respect are they 

 changed. A variegated single white-flowered Oleander 



