APPLE-TREE GRAFTING 



production of cider, it seems worth while to pay 

 it the compliment, after its long rest, of bringing 

 it into the light of publicity, so here it is : 



" MY LORD, 



"I had the honour of your Lordship's 

 letter to my Lord Somerville transmitted to me 

 by that Nobleman, in reference to an improved 

 method of grafting the Apple Tree, in a com- 

 munication to the Bath Society by a Mr. 

 Travers, of West Camel, near Sherborne, Dorset. 

 His object in this method is to facilitate the 

 growth of the tree from the Kernel Stock so as 

 to bring on to maturity of bearing an orchard 

 much sooner than by the usual practice in grafting, 

 namely, as he conceived about 7 years. 



" His words are these : ' The quickest way to 

 get an Orchard is to sow the Apple Kernels in 

 March. The March following take them up and 

 graft them in the same way as those two that I 

 have sent, planting the grafted part 3 inches 

 under ground. I have had Apples the third year 

 from the Kernel by this way of grafting, and they 

 will make trees 7 years sooner than by the common 

 way of grafting.' 



" From some practice and observation of my 

 own, my Lord, I incline to think that Mr. Travers' 

 ideas are pretty correct thus far, but he is silent 

 as to any effect thus to be produced in renovating 

 the lost prolificacy of the famous old sorts of 

 Cider Fruit as the Styre, Woodcock, Carraway, 

 Russet, Coccagee, etc., and I have my fears that 

 such an effect is not by any means very likely to 

 be produced. 



255 



