1887. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



167 



including Peach and other baskets. Some of 

 the comniissiou men convened and the com- 

 mittee met them and were rather coolly re- 

 ceived, the former declaring peremptorily thut 

 they would not return Peach or any other 

 baskets, nor pay the cartage on gift packages. 

 It is now thought that the bulk of the fruit 

 from this section wUl be sent to other markets, 

 as nothing of much importance has bi^en ac- 

 complished by the present elt'orts of producers. 



Influence of Stock, Clon, Etc. on 

 Future Growth. 



ANDREW s. FDLLER, RIDGWOOD, N. J. 



In selecting cuttings, cions and buds, it is 

 well to keep in mind the fact that they have 

 more or less influence in determining the future 

 value of the plants raised therefrom. Whatever 

 faults or merits are possessed by the parent 

 plant ai-e likely to be transmitted to the ofl:- 

 spring, and either, under certain conditions, 

 may be increased or decreased many fold. 



If we desire early fruiting, we should select 

 wood for propagation from mature or bearing 

 plants, instead of from the young and imma- 

 ture. But we ma)- readily carry this kind of 

 selection too fai', for very early and premature 

 fruiting is not always desirable. Continuous 

 propagation from old, mature and productive 

 specimen trees may increase the tendency to a 

 premature old age and decay. 



Almost any jieculiar form of gi'owth or other 

 charactei'istic of a variety or species may be 

 transmitted to the offspring through the part 

 employed in its propagation. We may not in 

 every instance be able to perpetuate abnormal 

 characteristics at flrst, but by repeated selec- 

 tions of parts showing a variation from the 

 normal type, we can usually fix and perpetuate 

 almost any peculiar habit or form of plant. 



In herbaceous plants, we may increase the 

 floriferous habit by continuous propagating 

 from the flowering stems and branches, until 

 the plant perishes from what may be termed 

 over-exhaustion. 



I.NFLUENCE OF STOCK ON ClON. — That the 



stock upon which a cion or bud is set has in- 

 fluence upon its future growth is %vell known. 

 If it were not so, then the art of propagating 

 plants by budding and grafting would be less 

 valuable than now. It is thus we change the 

 giant into a dwarf, the slow growing plant into 

 a rapid one, and many other variations from 

 the natural habits of plants, simply through 

 the influence of the stock on the cion or graft. 



The common mode of producing dwarf Pears 

 is one of the most familiar instances of the in- 

 fluence of the stock on the graft. It mainly 

 affects the form and habit of growth, but is 

 not necessarily debilitating, for size and rapid 

 growth are not always trustworthy signs of 

 great longevity. The influence of the stock 

 upon the graft may be briefly stated as follows : 



First, The stock gathers the crude materials 

 for the support of the graft from the soil, and 

 in doing so it may supply it in such quantities 

 as t<.i produce rapid growth, or the reverse. 



Sfi'imd, The tendency of the stock is to 

 impart its own habit of growth to the graft. 



Third, One species of stock vrill extract from 

 the soil the peculiar components which are 

 necessary to support the graft, while another 

 will not; consequently, a variety of species 

 may fail upon one stock and succeed upon an- 

 other in the same soil and locality. 



Fourth, The hardiness of a tree is but slightly 

 changed or aff'ected by the stock, except as its 

 growth is influenced to mature early or lato in 

 the season. 



Fifth, The quality and size of a fruit is 

 occasionally influenced by the stock, but the 

 true cause of this is not as yet sufficiently un- 

 derstood to allow of any niles being given iiy 

 which it may be avoided. I have known two 

 Bartlett Pear trees of the same age, standing 

 side by side, and apparently of equal vigor, 

 still, for ten years, one has produced very large 

 fruit and the other small. The number of 



specimens upon each tree being reduced equally 

 the difference in size remained the same. 



Si.rth , The stock will not only impart vigor 

 to the graft, but also transmit di.sea.ses. It is 

 therefore just as important to avoid the one as 

 to endeavor to secure the other. 



Influence of the Cion on the Stock.— 

 Downing says; " The influence of the graft on 

 the stock seems scarcely to extend beyond the 

 power of communicating disease." But if we 

 have discovereil this much it proves that there 

 is an influence, and if it is sulliciently potent 

 to " communicate disease," then it is probably 

 sufficient to impart other properties as well. 



The same seedling Cherry stocks, grafted 

 with sorts of different degrees of vigor, soon 

 vary in amount and size of the fibrous roots. 

 Trees of the Imperial Gage and Jefferson 

 Plums, a few feet in height, when budded on 

 the Wild Plum, were found to have only half 

 the amount of roots possessed by the unburlded 

 stock of the same age. 



Every nurseryman must have observed that 

 some varieties of the Pear, as well as of the 

 Plum and Cherry, have a far greater number 

 of fibrous roots than others. These various 

 forms of roots cannot be satisfactorily ac- 

 counted for in any other way but to ascribe 

 the cause to the influence of the graft. If we 

 take a seedling Apple tree one or two years 

 old, and divide the root inco two parts, upon 

 one of which we splice a cion of Monmouth 

 Pippin, and on the other one of the Nuithern 

 Spy, and plant both in exactly the same soil, 

 side by side, and cultivate them alike, after 

 three or four years the roots will have a very 

 different appearance both in color and form. 



Still, with all the influence the cion has had 

 upon the roots in changing their form and 

 color, if cuttings are taken from these roots and 

 forced to produce shoots, the plants thus raised 

 will be of the original type, showing that the 

 influence of the cion is not perpetual. 



A few instances have been recorded where 

 the cions with variegated leaves have so in- 

 fluenced the stock as to cause it to produce 

 shoots below the point of union, bearing leaves 

 like those on the cion. But whether this 

 change is due to some disease inherited in the 

 cion, or the intermingling of the cellular 

 matter, has never been fuUy determined. — 

 From "The Propagation of Plants." 



A Word for a Good Garden. 



JO HATTON, WORCESTER CO„ MASS. 



Everyone who owns a square rod uf land 

 should have a garden, and make it worthy of 

 the name. But in the words of a writer make 

 not the " rich parterre unprofitably gay while 

 you hunger for tke luscious fruits." Plant for 

 ornament of course, but aside from this let the 

 fruits receive leading attention. For the am- 

 ateur there is perhaps no fruit more desirable 

 to plant than the Grape. It is inexpensive to 

 get a start with, it bears early, it is productive 

 and easily managed, and as food it is delicious 

 and wholesome over a long season. 



As to kinds, each one must be governed in a 

 measure by the soil and situation in which he 

 plants. Those that are of slow growth are best 

 adapted to rich and heavy soil and the reverse 

 for those of rampant growth. We must advise 

 as the result of experience to plant but few new 

 sorts at a time. The m-iter was induced by the 

 originator of the lona some years ago to plant 

 one hundred vines of that sort at quite a cost, 

 and this proved love's labor lost ; after nursing 

 them for years they were torn out and burned, 

 proving a failure. This taught us a lesson; we 

 still plant of the newer kinds to test them, but 

 only very sparingly. With Strawberries we 

 are governed by the same rule, but here the 

 second year usually affords a fair test. 



One way of planting Grape-vines is to 

 secure the stock in the fall and heel in where 

 water will not stand. Then plant them as early 

 in the spring as the ground can be worked to 

 crumble up finely for filling in about the roots. 



The rows are run north and south, to Ije ten 

 feet apart, with the viuessix to eight feet in the 

 row, according to the richness of the soil and 

 the tendency of the soil to make wood. 



In setting out, the holes are dug two feet or 

 more across aud fifteen to twenty inches deep, 

 then half filled with good surface soil and leaf 

 mold, with a liberal sprinkling of ground bone 

 and wood ashes, the soil is thrown in so as to 

 leave it in the shape of a cone, the vine is set 

 on the top with the roots slojiingdown the sides 

 to prevent the frost frotn throwing them out. 

 We prefer one-year old vines to those older. 



Fruit Notes by a Fruit Grower, 



JACOB FAITH, VERNON CO., MISSOCRI. 



The berry crop brings welcome money to the 

 children who pick the finiit, and adds health 

 and comfort to the consumer. It must be ad- 

 mitted that fruit is more vvhole.some than pork 

 and much cheaper raised. I prefer to provide 

 two meals of the latter to one of the former. 



It is upwards of ,"i() years ago since Strawber- 

 ries weie brought into notice for cultivation, 

 previous to which time there were none to 

 speak of. I feel safe to say that to^iay one 

 hundred acres of these and other small fruits 

 are in cultivation for each one of even 0(1 years 

 ago. The day is not far olT when every family 

 must appreciate their value both for health and 

 as food. Our best physicians advise their free 

 use, while as L. A, Goodman says. " Nothing 

 like fruit to bring roses to the cheeks." 



Complaints are sometimes heard from con- 

 sumers that berry boxes are not full. I sup- 

 pose they think the raised bottom in some 

 baskets are designed to cheat the customer, 

 when if they would stop and think they would 

 see that this was to keep the basket from mash- 

 ing the berries below by settling on them, and 

 to provide air over the berries. Berries as 

 they come from the patch, it must be remem- 

 bered, are considerably heaped. And yet I will 

 admit that there are dishonest growers who 

 would deal out their berries in baskets that 

 are short measure, and also dishonest pickers 

 who work in bad berries to fill up, but the good 

 should not be judged by the bad, I have found 

 it the hardest kind of work to have my pickers 

 pick as uniformly well as I reciuire. 



Surely it is better to have plenty of fruit on 

 our tables than not when one considers the 

 matter of health. Fresh fruit is pleasant to 

 the taste, cooling to the system, nourishing and 

 laxative. It is far superior in many cases to 

 the doses of salts and oil administered in the 

 case of fevers aud other diseases. Raw fruit is 

 acknowledged to be better for constipation than 

 liver piUs, and who will say not easier taken? 



Flowers for the Bay Window. 



The rock that the amateur flower lover 

 dashes her hopes upon the soonest is, to take 

 some choice hot-house plant in lovly bloom when 

 bought, and try to make it grow in an ordinary 

 sitting room, and with the small knowledge 

 she may have of its nature and treatment. 



Make one rule and stick to it. Never buy a 

 plant in bloom. If your heart yearns to possess 

 some lovely greenhouse darling, get a small 

 slip and stick to the florist till he tells you 

 exactly what to do with it. But stay your 

 desires to grow wonderful plants and see what 

 you can do with common things. 



I have succeeded this winter with Geraniums 

 in bloom since Christmas. Petunias that just 

 " bloom," Callas that delight the eyes of passers 

 by. But my success was a Nasturtium. 

 Planted in a small willow basket on a bracket 

 close to the window glass, its scarlet sweet 

 scented blossoms have been a daily delight 

 since February. Pink Oxalis in a row of small 

 pots make an upper shelf a blaze of color. 

 These, too, only succeed close to the glass. 



An Ivy Gi?ranium on a bracket is another 

 success. Also, Kenilworth Ivy, and a lovely 

 Musk plant. Try these, my amateur popular 

 gardeners, next fall. Sister Gbacioos. 



