PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 



327 



out branches similar to those of the engrafted 

 part than the latter would branches similar to 

 those of the stock. The stock and graft remain 

 ever distinct, although forming one and the same 

 living subject. But while grafting or budding 

 never effects any alteration in the identity of the 

 variety or species of fruit, still it is not to be 

 denied that the stock does exert certain influ- 

 ences over the habits of the graft. These have, 

 however, been already noticed in a general way. 



The Americans and French graft and bud 

 their fruit trees on much taller stocks than we 

 do, and they believe that this tends to the dura- 

 bility of the tree. The late Mr Wilmot was of 

 opinion that the stock, becoming buried by the 

 accumulation of soil in gardens, was in time 

 transferred into a perfect root ; and when this 

 takes place the trees begin to decline in vigour, 

 and soon after die. 



General remarks on stocks for fruit trees. — The 

 late Professor Thouin, who studied this matter 

 thoroughly, observes that the historians and 

 poets of antiquity have written, and the moderns 

 have repeated on the faith of others, that every 

 scion will take on any sort of stock, provided 

 there be any resemblance in their barks ! Thus 

 Pliny, Varro, Columella, &c, speak of apples and 

 vines grafted on elms and poplars, and of differ- 

 ent fruits being borne on the same stock ; and 

 some of later date state even more absurd ano- 

 malies. Even to this day, if such extravagances 

 be not really believed by many gardeners on the 

 Continent, there are some of those who do their 

 best to persuade us to believe that such things 

 are ; and many ingenious contrivances we have 

 seen by which such deceptions are carried on. 

 One of these is produced by what the French 

 call Qraffe des Charlatans, and is often con- 

 structed by selecting an old orange stem, with a 

 few miserable branches on top, into which they 

 drill holes from the bottom of the stump up- 

 wards, through which they ingeniously intro- 

 duce slender shoots of roses, jasmines, and like 

 flexible plants, the roots being planted in the 

 same soil as the orange, the shoots being intro- 

 duced below the surface of the soil, and the 

 points of the tops brought out at various heights 

 of the orange stem. 



The classical reader will no doubt recollect 

 Pliny's account of the tree in the garden of 

 Lucullus, grafted in such a manner as to bear 

 apples, pears, plums, almonds, olives, figs, and 

 grapes. Similar ingenious deceptions are prac- 

 tised in Italy to this day. 



Mr Rivers, a highly respectable nurseryman, 

 has long paid great attention to the subject of 

 stocks, as well as several others, who have given 

 us the benefit of their experience in various 

 forms. One of the most experienced writers on 

 fruit trees — Mr Errington — in a valuable article 

 in the " Journal of the Horticultural Society," 

 after remarking that other causes must be at 

 work, beyond the mere question of a deficiency 

 of heat in our climate, to prevent the finest 

 Flemish pears arriving at full maturity, observes, 

 " If the habit of the quince was duly considered, 

 and the soil adapted accordingly, the result 

 would be a much higher amount of success than 

 is at present attained. I do not wish it here to 



be inferred," he says, " that I would advocate 

 the total banishment of the pear stock from our 

 gardens ; not by any means. What I would urge 

 is, that most of the Flemish kinds which are not 

 found to succeed in a satisfactory way on the 

 wall, would probably be much improved if grown 

 as dwarf standards or pyramidal tre'es, providing 

 proper means are taken to subdue, and continue 

 under control, their tendency to produce super- 

 fluous shoots. The production of such shoots 

 constitutes the principal reason why the fruit 

 becomes unsatisfactory. The tree is in exciting 

 soil, perhaps, with unlimited power to range in 

 quest of food ; the necessary consequence is, 

 that abundance of breastwood is formed. Now, 

 it so happens that the amount of foliage on such 

 breastwood is not an iota more than is requisite 

 to elaborate the great amount of watery juices 

 thrown into the system. No : nature, true to 

 her principles, produces no more foliage than is 

 necessary for a due amount of reciprocation be- 

 tween the root and the branches. The tree is 

 half stripped of its elaborative powers at the 

 moment they are most needed, and the conse- 

 quence is large fruit filled with half-elaborated 

 juices. The gardener, to be sure, is obliged to 

 cut away the breastwood, or general barenness 

 would be the result." This refers to the prac- 

 tice of what is called summer pruning. If a pro- 

 per dwarfing system, Mr Errington believes, 

 were adopted, there would be little occasion for 

 disbudding. " There are three ways," he ob- 

 serves, "of arriving at this end : the one by using 

 the quince stock ; the next, by the free stock in 

 a limited amount of soil ; and a third, by root- 

 pruning. The free stock, with a very limited 

 amount of soil, offers a chance of striking at 

 the root of the evil. If, however, the limita- 

 tion is very severe, and the soil too light, there 

 arises another source of failure ; the fruit, in a 

 hot dry summer, may become stunted, and crack. 

 To be sure, top-dressings will obviate these 

 things, but it would be preferable so to establish 

 pear-trees as that they would require little or 

 no assistance in the way of labour. We come 

 now to the quince stock ; and to this I would 

 beg to draw particular attention. I think there 

 can be no doubt of the general success of the 

 quince, provided those who adopt it could be 

 prevailed upon to prepare the stations for its 

 reception with some regard to the habits of the 

 quince. It will be at once admitted that the 

 great object here is to provide a congenial soil 

 for the stock ; this done, the success of the graft 

 will follow as a matter of course." With a view 

 to modify the luxuriance of the free stock, this 

 high authority suggests a system of root-pruning, 

 to commence even while the stocks are in the seed- 

 bed, by means of frequent transplanting, to check 

 the tendency in them of forming strong and 

 forked roots, and to induce them to form plenty 

 of fibrous roots near the surface. By this means, 

 and placing the roots afterwards under proper 

 control, it is probable that the pear upon free 

 stocks may come to assume a dwarfish habit— and 

 if so, it would be desirable, as any ordinary gar- 

 den soil would suit it ; whereas, if the quince is 

 used, a soil and other conditions must be arti- 

 ficially prepared for it. Some pears succeed bet- 



