February 26, 1890.] 



Garden and Forest. 



101 



Fig. 22. — Rosa foliolosa. — See page ioo. 



Pear upon the Quince and the Apple upon the Paradise Apple. 

 This dwarfing usually augments proportionate fruitfulness. 



2. Grafting may be made the means of adapting plants to 

 adverse soils. Illustrations are numerous. Many varieties of 

 Plums, when worked on the Peach, thrive in light soils where 

 Plums on their own roots are worthless. Conversely, some 

 Peaches can be adapted to heavy soils by working on the 

 Plum. If dwarf Pears are desired on light soils where the 

 Quince does not thrive, recourse is had to grafting on 

 the Mountain Ash, or some of its allies. In some chalky 

 districts of England the Peach is worked on the Almond. 

 Some Plums can be grown on uncongenial loose soils by 

 working them on the Beach Plum. Professor Budd states, 

 Garden and Forest for February 12th, that the Gros Pomier 

 Apple is particularly adapted to sandy land and the Tetofsky 

 to low prairie land, and that these stocks are often selected to 

 overcome adversities of soil. Such instances are frequent, 

 and demand greater attention from cultivators. 



3. ('-rafting may be made the means 

 of adapting plants to adverse climate. 

 This may be brought about by either 

 or both of two causes : (a) The early 

 maturation of the stock, causing the 

 cion to ripen better. The Olden- 

 burgh Apple is a favorite stock in 

 severe climates for this reason. The 

 Siberian Crab often has the same in- 

 fluence, although its use is open to se- 

 rious objection, (b) A slightly imper- 

 fect union, causing the cion to mature 

 or ripen early. This fact has been ob- 

 served in many cases, notably in some 

 instances of Apples upon improved 

 Crabs, and yet the union is often perfect 

 enough, nevertheless, to maintain the 

 plant in a profitable condition for years. 

 There are some adaptations to climate, 

 however, which are not explained by 

 either of the above hypotheses. 



4. Grafting may correct a poor habit. 

 All propagators are aware of this fact. 

 The Canada Red Apple is usually top- 

 worked to overcome its weak and 

 straggling habit. The Winter Nelis 

 Pear is a familiar illustration. 



5. Grafting is often the means of ac- 

 celerating fruitfulness — i. <?., plants are 

 made to bear at an earlier age. Those 

 who test new orchard-fruits are famil- 

 iar with this fact. Cions from young 

 trees bear sooner if set in old trees 

 than when set in young ones. This 

 result may be due to the same causes 

 which abbreviate the vigor of plants, 

 as already outlined (see g 3, above). 

 Checking growth induces fruitfulness. 



6. Graftingoften modifies the season 

 of ripening of fruit. This is brought 

 about by different habits of maturity of 

 wood in the stock and cion. An ex- 

 periment with Winter Nelis Pear 

 showed that fruit kept longer when 

 grown upon Bloodgood-stocks than 

 when grown upon Flemish Beauty- 

 stocks. The latter stocks in this case 

 evidently completed their growth 

 sooner than the others. Mr. Augur 

 cites an instance in which the Roxbury 

 Russet, grafted upon the Golden 

 Sweet, which is early in ripening, was 

 modified both in flavor and keeping 

 qualities. " Keeping qualities " is but 

 another expression for "season of 

 ripening." These 'influences are fre- 

 quent ; in fact, they are much com- 

 moner, I am convinced, than we are 

 aware. 



7. Grafting often augments fruitful- 

 ness, largely for the same reasons as dis- 

 cussed in g 3. There are some anoma- 

 lous instances of increase of fruitful- 

 ness, which are difficult of explanation 

 — e. g., some citrus fruits are more pro- 

 ductive when grafted upon Li won/a tri- 

 foliata than upon their own roots. 



8. Grafting often delays the degeneration of varieties. In 

 various ornamental plants this influence is marked, as com- 

 pared with plants from cuttings. It is recorded particularly 

 in certain Roses and Camellias. 



9. Grafting sometimes increases the size of fruit. The best 

 illustrations of this fact are found in certain Pears when grown 

 upon the Quince— the fruit is often larger than from standard 

 trees. 



, 10. Grafting may result in a modification of color of foliage, 

 flowers or fruit. 'Assumed influences of this character are 

 frequently recorded, but it is not always possible to determine 

 how much of the modification may be due to soil, climate and 

 treatment.. The best instance which I now recall occurred in 

 my own practice. Prunus Pissardi gave much more highly 

 colored foliage when grafted upon Prunus Americana than upon 

 P. domestica. The cions came from the same tree, and the 

 grafted trees stood in the same row. Any acceleration in 

 ripening of fruit (as indicated in g 5) is apt to cause high 



