^6 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



cot on the plum ; the pear on the quince ; strong grow- 

 ing species and varieties on weaker ones, and vice versa. 

 But experience has established the fact, that there must 

 be between the stock and graft a close alliance. We 

 cannot graft an a^jyle on a^peach., nor a cherry on appear j 

 but the pear, the apple, quirce, medlar, thorn, and moun- 

 tain ash — a naturally allied group — may, with more or 

 less success, be worked upon one another. 



The French horticulturists, who are the most skilful 

 and cm-ious in all matters pertaining to the propagation 

 of plants, describe in their works upwards of one hun- 

 dred different modes of grafting, practised in different 

 ages and countries, and for the attainment of particular 

 objects ; but, however interesting the study of all these 

 may be to the student and experimentalist, the great 

 bulk of them are of little practical utility, and are never 

 applied in the multiplication of fruit trees. It is, there- 

 fore, mmecessary to fill up the pages of such a treatise as 

 this, with either a historical account or description of 

 them. The methods described below are those univer- 

 sally adopted, with slight modifications, by the best prac- 

 tical propagators everywhere at the present day. 



Stocks are of all ages from a yearling seedling to a 

 tree forty or fifty years old ; but of whatever age, they 

 should be sound and healthy. ITursery stocks will be 

 more particularly spoken of in the proper place. 



Scions are generally shoots of the previous year's 

 growth. Karely those bearing fruit buds are used for the 

 purpose of experiment, but in such cases only. They 

 should be cut in the autumn after the fall of the leaf, or 

 in the winter, and be preserved carefully in earth till 

 wanted for use. If intended for root-grafting early in the 

 spring in the house, it will be sufficient to bury their 

 lower ends in earth, in a cool, dry cellar ; but if wanted 

 for out-door grafting, they should be buried in dry sandy 



