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do not, as a rule, attain such large developments as seedlings, and 
it would seem that the operation, whilst evincing a somewhat dwart- 
ing or weakening effect on the plant, stimulates at the same time 
its productive capabilities. A parallel effect is noticeable when 
the process of annular incision or ringbarking is applied to bad 
setting grape vines in order to cause them to better set their fruit. 
Fruit Tree Socks. 
Of all botanical families, three—the Rosaceae, which comprise 
most deciduous fruit trees and a few evergreens; the Aurantiaceae, 
which include citrus trees; and the vitis, under which grape vines are 
grouped—lend themselves best to the operations of grafting. Even 
then, although the rose, the apple, pear, plum, peach, almond, 
cherry, and many others all belong to the order of rosaceous plants, 
still there are amongst these, as has already been stated, affinities 
which make successful grafting practicable between a few of them 
only. The rose requires a briar or some form of rose stock; the 
apple, the wild crab or some form of apple stock; the hawthorn, 
the pear, quince, and medlar can be more or less successfully worked 
on one another’s stocks; the peach, nectarine, apricot, plum, and 
almond, although doing best on their own stock, are likewise inter- 
changeable. Which of these several stocks answers best under 
particular conditions is a consideration which will be dealt with 
under several of the headings which follow. 
Apple Stock. 
The apple tree on its own root is now-a-days hardly ever 
grown. In Europe that fruit has for time immemorial been worked 
on the sturdy erab stock, or on seedling stock. This practice, how- 
ever, has little to recommend itself, as there is no advantage to 
be gained in propagating from transplanted seedling stocks which 
the Americans call “whole root” stocks, as compared with the 
ordinary root grafts. 
Where the object is the “dwarfing” of the apple, the French 
Paradise stock is used; this is also a European wild apple which is 
propagated by layering. The advantages of the dwarf, it might be 
said in passing, are closer planting and as near as 10ft. apart; 
greater ease in pruning, spraying, and picking; better resistance to 
the winds of autumn, which cause the fruit of high trees to fall 
before maturity. Although these advantages appear striking, it 
may also be said that trees on dwarf stock are better suited to the 
amateur’s garden than to the orchard owner who plants for the 
sake of the profit to be derived. 
In respect of raising apple trees, however, the old country has 
a lesson to learn from the Australian grower. The European 
methods proved a failure in Australia, where the woolly aphis 
(Schizoneura lanigeria) cankered the tree and ultimately killed it. 
