160 SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 



reciprocal influence of grafts. For example, peaches or 

 almonds may be retarded in their blooming period by work- 

 ing them on certain varieties of plums. Blossoms appear 

 on plums from one to two weeks later than the almond. 

 Where plum stock has been tried the delay has been 

 about one-half the difference between the two blooming 

 periods. In a similar way the maturity of certain varieties 

 of plums may be hastened by working them on early 

 varieties of peaches; although it is doubtful if this would 

 ever be difference enough to be made use of in a practical 

 way. 



Color and flavor of fruits is also influenced more or less 

 by the stock used, but the results are not so easily measured 

 or so well understood. There apparently is no question 

 but that high colored fruits can be improved by grafting 

 on seedlings grown from high colored fruits. This, however, 

 ic more or less an indefinite quantity, as the seedlings 

 themselves may vary widely in their ability to transmit 

 the high color. Results are more noticeable when seedlings 

 from Siberian crabs are used, because they are more stable. 



What is true of color is also true of the sugar and acid 

 content of the fruit. Apples low in sugar when grafted 

 on sweet apple trees will show an increase in sugar content. 

 Undoubtedly, some of the poor color and lack of quality 

 in certain regions, attributed to local environment, may be 

 due to the influence of the stock on which they are grafted. 

 Claims have been made that the Baldwin apple after being 

 grafted through several generations on the Tolman Sweet 

 has developed a high sugar content. 



As the stock may affect the maturity of the fruit so also 



