CHAPTER XVII. 



Hybridism by Grafting and budding. 



WHILE it is known that hybrids have been formed by 

 grafting as well as by crossing through the pollen, it 

 is 'considered so rare that very little attention has 

 been paid to the subject, and the general opinion among a 

 large majority of fruit-growers is that such a thing is impos- 

 sible. Chas. Downing, on page 4, paragraph 4, of his work 

 on fruits, makes the following interesting remarks on the 

 subject : 



" But there is still another reason for this habit, so perplexing to 

 the novice, who, having tasted a luscious fruit, plants, watches, and 

 rears its seedling, to find it, perhaps, wholly different in most 

 respects. This is the influence of grafting. Among the great 

 number of seedling fruits produced in the United States, there is 

 found occasionally a variety, perhaps a plum or a peach, which will 

 nearly always reproduce itself from seed. From some fortunate 

 circumstances in its origin, unknown to us, this sort, in becoming im- 

 proved, still retains strongly this habit of the natural or wild form, 

 and the seeds produce the same. We can call to mind several 

 examples of this : fine fruit trees whose seeds have established the 

 reputation in the neighborhood of fidelity to the sort. But when a 

 g>aft is taken from one of these trees, and placed upon another 

 stock, this grafted tree is found to lose its singular power of pro- 

 ducing the same by seed. The stock exercises some as yet unex- 

 plained power in dissolving the strong natural habit of the variety, 

 and becomes, like its fellows, subject to the laws of its artificial life." 



In a marginal note the editor comments on the above, and 

 clearly expresses the general belief of to-day, that the stock 

 has no effect on the seed of fruit grown on the scions. He 

 says : 



"The doctrine here advanced has, perhaps, no foundation in fact, 

 nor has there been any test made that, to our knowledge, would 

 controvert it. Observation of many years, however, leads to the 

 belief that the mere engrafting a variety upon another stock in no 

 way affects its habit or capacity for reproducing itself just the same 

 as it would if retained upon its parent root." 



The uniformly negative opinion as to graft or bud hybrid- 



(158) 



