OF FRUIT TREES. 33 



introduced 'into America by Mr. Prince, a native of 

 New- York, who established a nursery in its neigh- 

 bourhood about sixty years ago. Fruit trees, which 

 are grafted or inoculated, come into a bearing state 

 several years sooner than those produced from 

 seed ; besides, grafted or inoculated trees invaria- 

 bly produce the same kind of fruit as the parent 

 tree from which the scion or bud is taken, while 

 that from seedling trees is liable to sport in endless 

 varieties. In the choice of scions for grafting, the 

 first essential requisite is, that they are of the same 

 genus and natural family with the stock which is to 

 become their foster parent, and which is to afford 

 them future nourishment and support. The apple 

 cannot be advantageously engrafted on a pear stock, 

 nor will a pear succeed well on an apple stock: for, 

 although it may flourish and bear fruit for a few 

 years, it will never prove a profitable tree, and will 

 decline and decay sooner than others. Scions from 

 a winter apple tree should not be grafted on a sum- 

 mer apple stock, because the sap in the summer 

 stock is liable to decline and diminish before the 

 winter fruit has become fully ripe. In the memoirs 

 of the American academy of arts and sciences, 

 volume i, page 388, is a communication from the 

 late honourable B. Lincoln, relative to the engraft- 

 ing of fruit trees, &c. in which he says, "I had 

 observed, for a number of years, an apple tree in 

 my orchard, the natural fruit of which was early, 

 having been grafted with a winter scion, producing 

 fruit very like in appearance to the fruit produced 

 by the tree whence the scion was taken, but desti- 

 tute of those qualities inherent in that fruit, and 

 necessary to its keeping through the winter. This 

 led me to call in question the propriety of grafting 

 winter fruit on a summer stock," &c. A pear is 

 occasionally engrafted on a quince, for the purpose 

 of dwarf trees, but it is of smaller growth, and less 

 vigorous and durable than if nourished by its more 



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