304 LUTHER BURBANK 



peach tree, even causing its death. Yet, on 

 the other hand, the French prune will grow 

 better on the roots of the almond or the peach 

 than on its own roots. 



In each of these cases, it would seem, there 

 must be an influence, in one case harmful, in the 

 other beneficial, transmitted between cion and 

 stock. 



It will be observed that such influences as 

 these merely extend to the life or vigor of the 

 plant, and have nothing to do with the question 

 of transferring its inherent characteristics. And 

 it is universally admitted that, as a rule, the 

 influence of stock on cion, or of cion on stock, 

 is thus limited. 



But just as you cannot make a dog and cat 

 identical in constitution merely by feeding them 

 the same food, so you cannot cause a grafted 

 cion on your peach or pear or apple tree to con- 

 form in shape or constitution to the stock on 

 which it grows merely by giving it the same 

 nourishment that the stock receives for as ex- 

 plained above all the most important functions 

 of plant life are carried on in the leaves. Thus 

 we may have an explanation of the fact that the 

 graft governs the root almost absolutely as to 

 variety or individuality, while the roots are pur- 

 veyors for the foliage. 



