202 On the Effects of different Kinds of Stocks in Grafting. 



upon the Apricot or Plum. My own experience induces me 

 to think very highly of the excellence of the Apricot stock, 

 for the Peach or Nectarine ; but wherever that, or the Plum 

 stock is employed, I am confident the bud cannot be inserted 

 too near the ground, when vigorous and durable trees are 

 wanted. The opinion of Mr. Wilmot, in a former Volume 

 of our Transactions* is, upon this point, opposed to mine ; 

 but I speak upon the evidence of long experience, and of 

 experiments accurately and purposely made with my own 

 hands. 



The form and habit which a Peach tree of any given 

 variety is disposed to assume, I find to be very much influ- 

 enced by the kind of stock upon which it has been budded : 

 if upon a Plum or Apricot stock, its stem will encrease in 

 size considerably, as its base approaches the stock, and it will 

 be much disposed to emit many lateral shoots, as always 

 occurs in trees whose stems taper considerably upwards ; 

 and, consequently, such a tree will be more disposed to 

 spread itself horizontally, than to ascend to the top of the 

 wall, even when a single stem is suffered to stand perpendi- 

 cularly upwards. When, on the contrary, a Peach is budded 

 upon the stock of a cultivated variety of its own species, the 

 stock and the budded stem remain very nearly of the same 

 size at, as well as above and below, the point of their junc- 

 tion. No obstacle is presented to the ascent, or descent, 

 of the sap, which appears to ascend more abundantly to the 

 summit of the tree. It also appears to flow more freely into 

 the slender branches, which have been the bearing wood of 



* Vol. i. page 21 (i. 



