The Story-Book of the Fields 



leaves, flowers or fruit. An absolute differ- 

 ence in nutrition must inevitably result from 

 this difference in structure ; the rose shoot 

 would starve on a branch of lilac, and the 

 lilac shoot on the rose. But we can easily 

 graft the lilac on the lilac, the rose on the 

 rose, or the vine on the vine. We can even go 

 further. The peach tree may be made to 

 support the shoot of an apricot, or the 

 plum-tree that of a cherry, and vice versa; 

 for between these pairs of plants there 

 is a close resemblance that can be easily 

 recognised. For grafting to succeed the 

 greatest similarity between the two plants 

 is required. 



The ancients were far from having clear 

 ideas as to this absolute necessity of similar 

 organisation. They speak of roses grafted 

 on holly, with the object of obtaining green 

 roses ; of vines grafted on the walnut, so as 

 to produce grapes with huge berries as large 

 as walnuts. Even in our own time the 

 question has been seriously discussed of 

 grafting the vine on a mulberry tree, to give 

 fresh life to the plants, the roots of which have 

 been attacked by a louse that lives under- 

 ground. Such grafts, or any others between 

 quite dissimilar plants, have never existed 



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