232 APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES. 



stock. In the Pear, the fruit becomes lighter coloured 

 and smaller on the Quince stock, than on the wild 

 Pear, still more so on the Medlar ; and in these two 

 instances the ascent and descent of sap is obstructed 

 by the Quince more than by the wild Pear, and by 

 the Medlar more than by the Quince. Similar effects 

 are produced in the Apple by the Paradise and Sibe- 

 rian Bittersweet stocks. Mr. Knight mentions such 

 differences in the quality of his Peaches. His garden 

 contained two trees of the Acton Scott variety, " one 

 growing upon its native stock, the other upon a Plum 

 stock, the soil being similar and the aspect the same. 

 That growing upon the Plum stock, afforded fruit of a 

 larger size, and its colour, where it was exposed to the 

 sun, was much more red; but its pulp was more 

 coarse, and its taste and flavour so inferior that he 

 would have denied the identity of the variety, had he 

 not Avith his own hand inserted the buds from which 

 both sprang." {Hort. Trans., v. 289.) 



In addi;ion to a judicious adaptation of the bud or 

 scion to the stock, there are other circumstances to 

 which it is necessary to attend, in order to insure the 

 success of the operation. It has already been seen 

 (p. 180), that the youngest buds of the Potato are more 

 excitable than those more completely matured ; and 

 the same appears to be true of the bud in other fruits. 



" The mature bud," says Mr. Knight, " takes imme- 

 diately with more certainty, under the same external 

 circumstances : it is much less liable to perish during 

 winter ; and it possesses the valuable property of 

 rarely or never vegetating prematurely in the sum- 



