No. 10. On the Reciprocal Influence of I he Slock and its Graft. 311 



The following article was published in the New Eng- 

 land Farmer, in 1832. It is now revised by the au- 

 thor, and communicated for publication in tho Fann- 

 ers' Cabinet, 



Ou the Reciprocal Influence of tlic Stock 

 and Its Graft* 



BY. JAMES MEASK, M. I>. 



The opinion that the fruit produced by a 

 graft is not in the least affjcted by tlie stock 

 in which the gratt is inserted, has loncf been 

 held as an axiom in vej^etable pliy^iolo<jy, 

 merely on the authority of Lord B\co\, who 

 lays it down, "that tlie scion ovorrulelh the 

 stock quite, and that the stock is but passive 

 only, and givetli aliment, but no motion to the 

 graft." In other words, he considers the stock 

 merely as a source of nourishment, to be 

 communicated to the scion in the vessels of 

 which it is to be decomposed or digested, and 

 made to produce fruit in the time natural to 

 the tree whence the scion is taken, and ac- 

 cording to its peculiar kind. 



I think [shall make it appear, that although 

 as a general rule, the principle is correct 

 which assigns a passive agency to the stock, 

 yet on many occasions it has a decided intlu- 

 ence not only on the vigor or fertility of the 

 grafts, but also on the nature and quality of 

 the fruit, and that a scion even affects the 

 production of the stock. 



1. The first proof I had on this subject, was 

 given to me by the late Joseph Cooper, of 

 New Jersey, an experienced and observing 

 farmer and horticulturist, who in the year 

 1804, showed me two trees, both inicrafted 

 with the same kind of apple by .himself, and 

 at the same time. The stock of one was 

 the Campfield apple, a native and excellent 

 fruit, that of the other was an early apple, and 

 in both instances, the fruit produced by the 

 graft partook of the flavor peculiar to the 

 fruits of the stocks. 



Mr. Cooper afterwards communicated to 

 roe in writing, his remarks on this subject, as 

 follows : " I have in numerous instances seen 

 the stock have great influence on the fruit 

 grafted thereon, in respect to bearing, size, 

 and flavor, and also on the longevity of the 

 tree, particnlarly in the instance of a number 

 of Vandevere*- apple trees, liie fruit of which 

 was so subject to the bitter rot, as to be of 



*Tliis deliciniis apple is named " Vandevere," afler 

 one of lUe Swedes, who in the early settlement of the 

 river DeUwarf, resided near \Vilmini;!on, .Tbout 27 

 miles below I'liilartelphi.i. It is supposed, therefore. 

 that he broiisht the original trees from Sweden. The 

 apple is of the midille size, redish, of a plea.sant sweet 

 and slightly arid taste, a combination of which renilers 

 it the best'apple f.>r tarts and pies. They are how- 

 ever, subject to a black spot, which increases with the 

 grovvth of the fruit, and from its intense bitterness re- 

 quires to be taken out before the apples are prepared 

 for stewing. The disease is called the " bitter rot."— 

 When first imported, the tree was called " i'taatcubi," 

 which may have been its Swedish name. 



little use. They were ingrafted fifty years 

 ago, previously to 1801, and ever since, those 

 of them which had tops composed of several 

 dirterent kinds, thou^rh 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 disease of tho 

 fruit of the stock. 1 have had frequent op- 

 portunities of observing the same circum- 

 stance, in consequence of my receiving many 

 scions from my friends, wliich, after bearing, 

 I engrafted, and the fruit uniformly partook in 

 .■-iome degree of the qualities of the former, 

 even in their disposition to bear annually or 

 biennially.* 



2. A correspondent of Mr. Bradley, (Mr. 

 Fairchild) budded a passion-tree, of which 

 the leaves were spotted with yellow, into one 

 that bore long fruit; and though the buds did 

 not take, in the course of two weeks, yellow 

 spots began to show themselves about three 

 feet above the inoculation, and in a short time 

 afterwards, such spots appeared on a shoot 

 which came out of the earth from another 

 part of the plant. The publication of these 

 facts is a proof of the candor of Bradley, in- 

 asmuch as tliey opposed his theory, which 

 was similar to that of Lord Bacon, for he says, 

 "the scion preserves its natural purity and 

 instinct, though it be fed and nourished by a 

 mere crab." 



3. The late celebrated English gardener, 

 William Speechly', regarded the stock as 

 overruling the scion, and in confirmation of 

 this opinion says, that " whenever a cutting is 

 taken from an aged tree in a state of decay, 

 and incrraftod upon a thriving stock immedi- 

 ately from seed, it may with propriety be con- 

 sidered as a renovation from decrepit old age, 

 to youth and healthful vigor."f In iiis trea- 

 tise on the culture of the vine, he add?, that 

 " he had improved many kinds of vines, by 

 imrrafting tiiose which have generally weak 

 wood on plants that are stronger." 



4. Thomas Hitt, another well known 

 Engli.sh gardener and writer, says, " tliat tho 

 future vigor of trees depends equally upon 

 the soil and stock, and that the tastes of the 

 fruit may also be improved by proper stocks." 

 Hence he gives very particular directions as 

 to the selection of stocks for various fruits, 

 and ilUi.=trales the necessity of attention to 

 them, by stating the fact, that " if two non- 

 pareil branches are grafted, the one upon a 

 paradise stock, the other upon a crab, and 

 both planted in the same soil and situation, 



* [ 1.'30. — I have been recently informed by a country 

 friend, that he has cured the bitter rot in his trees, by 

 pruniiiff t/icm when in blossom. The advice was given 

 by a German gardener. How to explain the fact is be- 

 yonil my philosophy. The experiment ought to be tirst 

 made by pruning the trees in the winter as usual.— 

 J. M.l 



t Hints on Rural Economy, London, 1821. 



