CHAPTER XXXIV 



Grafting 



Grafting is the process of transplanting a 

 shoot or a branch from its own branch to 

 another branch, from its own tree to another 

 tree. The plant which is to be the nourish- 

 ing support is called the stock, and the shoot 

 or branch transplanted is the graft. 



There is one condition that is absolutely 

 necessary if this change of support is to 

 succeed ; the transplanted shoot must find 

 on its new branch food adapted to its require- 

 ments — sap similar to its own. This means 

 that the two plants, the stock and the one 

 that provides the graft, must belong to the 

 same species, or at any rate to two that are 

 very closely allied ; for the similarity of the 

 sap and its products can only result from 

 similar organisations. It would be a waste 

 of time to try to graft the lilac on the rose, 

 or the rose on the willow ; for these three 

 species have nothing in common, either in 



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