200 ON GRAFTING. 



sorbed by the latter rises through it into the graft, and, 

 being elaborated in the leaves of the branch of the cherry- 

 tree, I should have supposed that it would have changed 

 the nature of the fruit of the plumb-tree when in its de- 

 scent it returns into it. 



Mrs. B. No ; for though the rising sap is the same 

 for both stock and graft, it is different in its return. The 

 sap of the stock and that of the graft are each elaborated 

 by their respective leaves, and, when converted into cam- 

 bium, each supplies nourishment to its own variety. 



Mr. Knight has made many ingenious experiments, 

 which tend to show that each variety of fruit requires its 

 own peculiar leaves to bring it to perfection. He grafted 

 several varieties of apples and pears on trees of the same 

 species, and adjusted the grafts close above the flower- 

 buds on the stock : these buds blossomed and bore fruit 

 so long as leaves were suffered to remain on the tree ; 

 but in some experiments he stripped them off, so that the 

 sap could be elaborated only in those of the graft, and in 

 those instances the fruit always withered and fell off. 



The principal advantage of grafting consists in its af- 

 fording an easy means of propagating individual plants, 

 which have, either by cultivation or some casual circum- 

 stance, attained a high degree of perfection. 



Emily. This is similar to the advantages obtained by 

 the propagation of plants by layers or slips. 



Caroline. I have heard that it is necessary to graft 

 fruit-trees raised from seed, in order to make them bear 

 fruit ; yet, if it were so, no fruit would grow wild ; and 

 in a state of nature plants could not produce seed to con- 

 tinue their species. 



Mrs. B. It is quite erroneous to suppose that seed- 

 ling fruit-trees will not bear fruit in due time ; but this 

 period will be considerably accelerated by grafting. A 

 young tree is not sufficiently strong during the first years 

 of its existence to bear fruit : an apple-tree, for instance, 

 produces none until it has attained the age of ten of 

 twelve years ; but, if grafted from a tree that has already 



1098. What does Mrs. B. say to Emily who proposed grafting the 

 plumb and cherry tree! 1099. What do the experiments of Mr. Knight 

 tend to show? 1100. What were they? 1101. What is the prin- 

 cipal advantage of grafting? 1102. What erroneousopinion of seedling 

 fruit trees is mentioned? 1103. How much is the gain of time in 

 having fruit from grafting? 



