94 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



another, by which certain important modifications are 

 wrought upon both the size and fruitfuhiess of trees, and 

 the quality of the fruits. Thus, we can graft, in many 

 cases, with highly beneficial results, the peach and apri- 

 cot on the plum, the pear on the quince, strong-grow- 

 ing species and varieties on weaker ones, and vice versa. 

 But experience has establislied the fact, that there must 

 be, between the stock and graft, a close alliance. We cannot 

 graft an apple on 2^ peach., nor a cherry on a joear / but the 

 pear, the apple, quince, medlar, thorn, and mountain-ash 

 — a naturally allied group — may, with more or less suc- 

 cess, be worked upon one another. 



The French horticulturists, who are the most skillful 

 and curious in all matters pertaining to the propagation 

 of plants, describe in their works upwards of one liun- 

 dred difierent modes of grafting, practiced in differ«int 

 ages and countries, and for the attainment of particular 

 objects; but, however interesting the study of all these 

 may be to the student and experimentalist, the great bulk 

 of them are of little practical utility, and are never applied 

 in the multiplication of fruit trees. It is, therefore, un- 

 necessary to fill up the pages of such a treatise as this, 

 with either a historical account, or description of them. 

 The methods described below are those universally adopt- 

 ed, with slight modifications, by the best practical propa- 

 gators everywhere at the present day. 



Stocks are of all ages, from a yearling seedling to a 

 tree forty or fifty years old ; but of whatever age, they 

 should be sound and healthy. Nursery stocks will be 

 more ])articularly spoken of in the proper place. 



Gions are generally shoots of the previous year's 

 growth. Those bearing fruit-buds are only used for 

 the purpose of experiment, and in that rarely. They 

 should be cut in the autumn after the fall of the leaf, or 

 in the winter, and be preserved carefully in earth until 

 wanted for use. If intended for root-grafting early in the 



