134 THE MINIATUEE PEUIT GAEDEN 



day, a very imperfect list. It is but a few years since 

 that the common fruit-bearing quince, raised from layers 

 — a most unfit stock— was sold for stocks for pears, and 

 Mussell, White Pear Plum, Brompton, Brussels, and 

 ' Commoners ' (i.e. common plum stocks) are still the 

 plum stocks propagated for sale ; all except the first and 

 the last are of inferior quality and are surpassed by the 

 White Magnum Bonum and the Black Damask Plum, 

 which suit Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, and all kinds 

 of plums. 



There are some free-growing kinds of apricots which, 

 when budded on the plum, and the young apricot 

 budded with a peach or nectarine, produce the most 

 favourable effects on the peach tree, the union being 

 perfect and the duration of it much lengthened. There 

 are also one or two kinds of plums which, being budded 

 on a wild kind of plum, form, when budded with the 

 peach or nectarine, a most favourable stock, giving 

 hardiness and fertUity to the trees. We are still very 

 backward in our knowledge of the effects of stocks on 

 fruits; the subject requires much time and research, 

 and no rushing to conclusions like some of our writers, 

 who write on everything, and nothing well, only be- 

 cause they have not the necessary patience to master a 

 few subjects thoroughly. 



