No. 7. 



On Grafting. 



207 



course the junction is always apparent, and 

 sometinies extremely unequal; for though 

 there is a free intercommunication of the 

 sap, the speciiic diflcrence of the woody 

 structure or vascular fabric being- unlike, 

 causes the difference in the diametric bulk! 

 On examination of the grafted part of a 

 stem of several years growth, by cleaving 

 It perpendicularly, or cutting through the 

 graft transversely, we see that there is an 

 intimate union between the layers of wood 

 which were about to be formed when the 

 operation was performed, and of all the sub- 

 sequently formed layers of both; but be- 

 tween the wood of the graft and stock 

 which was formed before the performance, 

 though closely and soundly adhering to each 

 other, there is a visible division, marked by 

 a brown line, where the two surfaces made 

 by the knife were joined. The union of 

 these IS, however, no more than a simple 

 adherence by means of secreted sap acting 

 as a cement, but not certainly by any inter- 

 junction of the woody fibres. 



Another advantage arising from the prac- 

 tice of grafting is, the certamtv of perpetu- 

 ating the true kind of fruit ; for altliough it 

 has been affirmed that the qualities of pears 

 are deteriorated by being grafted on the 

 quince, and that some sorts of apples are 

 impaired in quality and altered in colour, by 

 being worked on certain stocks, such reports 

 have not hitherto been confirmed ; and there- 

 fore it appears, that whatever may be the 

 state or quality of the sap, as supplied by 

 the roots of the stock, it very soon becomes 

 assmiilated to that of tlie graft, if. indeed, 

 any assimilation at all be necessary. 

 _ A good deal of skill is however necessary 

 in adapting the scions to proper stocks, in 

 order to assist diminutive growth, by placing 

 on strong growing stocks, or the reverse. 

 1 he habit or manner of growth of the tree 

 whence the graft is taken, is conveyed along 

 with it; and not only the permanent habit, 

 as IS exemplified by the weeping ash ; but 

 accidental flexures which sometimes occur 

 m upright growing trees; if these bowed 

 shoots are used for grafts, it is very like- 

 ly that the future shoots from that graft 

 will be also drooping, or unusually bent. 

 We have elsewhere remarked, that this cir- 

 cumstance happens sometimes in workino- 

 the Jargonelle pear. This tree in favours- 

 able situations, is sometimes apt to produce 

 very strong summer shoots, which, from the 

 weight of their foliage, or some other cause, 

 droop downward in a waving direction. 

 Ihese, It used for grafts, make very un- 

 sightly maiden plants, and afterwards re- 

 quire much training to get them into shape 

 and moderate growth. 



Any other peculiarity of growth or habit 

 of the mother tree, is certainly conveyed 

 along with grafts produced by it; and more- 

 over. It has been said, that not only disease, 

 but even the age and decrepitude of the pa- 

 rent, are conveyed to the young trees raised 

 from its shoots. 



This idea was first promulgated by T. A. 

 Knight, Esq., president of the Horticultural 

 Society of London, and from a belief that 

 young trees actually inherited the infirmi- 

 ties of their aged parents, which accounted 

 for the general failure of apple trees that 

 happened about the time that gentleman 

 wrote his « Treatise on the Apple and Pear" 

 —about 1795. To strengthen his opinion, 

 he argued that, as these fruit trees are only 

 varieties, they had, as such, only a limited 

 period of life; and when that period had 

 elapsed, the whole of any given variety, old 

 and young, and middle aged, dropped to de- 

 cay together. 



These new doctrines produced a strong 

 sensation, particularly among- nurserymen 

 who happened to have large" stocks of the 

 proscribed varieties; and so feasible were 

 Mr. Knight's representations, that many 

 acted upon them so far, that they pre- 

 ferred to plant the newest sorts rather than 

 the old ones. The circumstance which sug- 

 gested the idea to the worthy president, was 

 not only apparent in Herefordshire, but at 

 that time, all over the kingdom. The old 

 Golden pippin, the Styre, and Fox-whelp, 

 were failing in all directions around Mr. 

 Knight's residence in Herefordshire, and 

 adjoining cider counties; and the first of 

 these, a great favourite everywhere, became 

 almost barren, and was visibly failing all 

 over the kingdom. 



We well remember discarding and throw- 

 ing out a good many Golden pippin trees 

 about that time, which had been planted for 

 five or six years, without making the least 

 progress in growth, but rather declining. 

 Two of these outcasts having been planted 

 in a new shrubbery then making, the ground 

 having been deeply trenched, grew away 

 surprisingly in their new place, became 

 abundantly fruitful, and are now large and 

 healthy trees. 



This result showed that there was no 

 constitutional decrepitude, or irrecoverable 

 decay in this variety of apple; and the same 

 results having happened to other planters 

 who had planted the proscribed sorts on pro- 

 perly prepared ground in difierent parts of 

 the kingdom, the impression against them 

 wore ofij and now^t is almost forgotten. 



It is quite true that nurserymen have no 

 credit, nor are the trees they sell approved, 

 if the buyers only stick them into a round, 



