330 ELEMENTARY STUDIES IN BOTANY 



is covered with good soil, which puts some nodes in a favor- 

 able condition for striking root. It facilitates the growth of 

 roots if the bark breaks at the bend ; in some cases it helps 

 to make an incision near the node ; and sometimes a ring of 

 bark is removed. In this way an independent plant may be 

 developed, which in the course of a season or two is in a 

 condition to be transplanted into a permanent bed. 



32. Grafting. The process of grafting is the insertion of a 

 part of one plant into another so that the inserted part grows 

 supported by the other plant. The inserted part is called 

 the scion, and the plant upon which it is grafted is called the 

 stock. The purpose of grafting is to propagate the scion, 

 which represents the desired plant. There are several condi- 

 tions that make grafting a desirable and even a necessary 

 process. For example, in the case of fruit trees, to propagate 

 a desired variety by seed is a long and uncertain process. 

 Even if the time were short between seed-planting and fruit- 

 bearing, often the seedlings do not come true and the fruit 

 is not that which is desired. In the case of seedless fruits, 

 grafting becomes necessary for propagation. Advantage is 

 taken of grafting also to secure varieties of fruits in regions 

 that are unfavorable to scion-plants. For example, peach 

 trees thrive better in sandy soils of the southern states than 

 do plum trees; therefore by using peach tree stocks and 

 grafting into them plum tree scions, the plum varieties can 

 be secured which otherwise would be impossible. 



It is evident that the use of grafting is based upon the fact 

 that the scion retains its individuality, so far as the character 

 of its fruit is concerned. Much has been written concerning 

 the influence of stock on scion, and of scion on stock, but in 

 ordinary practice this influence is negligible. It is of scien- 

 tific interest to discover how unlike plants may be and still 

 enter into this union, but the fact of practical importance is 

 that the more closely the two plants are related, the more 

 successful is the grafting. 



