CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 



a seedling stock. It may be be best to take but one 

 scion from the same twig, cutting off its extremity 

 when to be inserted, as the middle part affords the 

 best graft ; leaving only two or three eyes or buds. 

 If the scion be too long, it requires more time for the 

 ascending sap to reach its extreme end, and it will be 

 more liable to fail. The most proper season for graft- 

 ing in our climate, is from about the 20th of March to 

 the 1st of June, though the operation has succeeded 

 well as late as July, when scions may be taken directly 

 from the tree ; and when the first grafting has failed, 

 the operation may be repeated the same season by 

 cutting the stock a little lower. Practical gardeners, 

 it is said, concur, in stating, that the nature of fruit is, 

 to a certain extent, affected by the nature of the stock. 

 Crab stocks, for example, cause apples to be firmer, 

 to keep longer, and to have a sharper flavour. Mr. 

 S. Cooper, of New-Jersey, expresses himself as fol- 

 lows, on this subject : (Dom. Ency. Mease's edit.) "I 

 have, in numerous instances, seen the stock have great 

 influence on the fruit grafted thereon, in respect to 

 bearing, size, and flavour, and also on the durability 

 of the tree, particularly in the instance of a number 

 of Vandevere apple trees ; the fruit of which was so 

 subject to the bitter rot as to be of little use. They 

 were engrafted fifty years ago, and ever since those of 

 them having tops composed of several different kinds, 

 though they continue to be more productive of fruit 

 than any others in my orchard, yet are subject to the 

 bitter rot, the original and well known affection of the 

 fruit of the primitive stock. I have had frequent op- 

 portunities of observing the same circumstance, in 

 consequence of receiving many scions from my friends, 

 which, after bearing, I engrafted, and the succeeding 

 fruit uniformly partook, in some degree, of the quali- 

 ties of the former, even in their disposition to bear an- 

 nually or bieunally." Mr. C. has ascertained the 



