fi^y. 
EXPEEIMENTS IN GEAFTING DAHLIAS. 
No. 2 will exemplify my meaning.* No. 3 is a vase of more even and regular form, the smooth outline 
of which is suited to the terrace with the trellis pai'apet. 
^ 
No. 2. 
No. 3. 
• Should any manufacturer Tvisli to execute a series of plant vases, pedestals, &c., I shall be happy to fuiTilsh him irith designs of 
an original and appropriate character. Such things for terraces, halls, &c., are much wanted, and few in good taste are to be 
found. Any manufact'irer may address a few lines to me at the publishers. 
EXPERIMENT IN GRAFTING DAHLIAS. 
By Mr. Z. PATTERSON, Gakdener to the Eaiu, of Chestekfield. 
fHE suggestions thrown out by Mr. Beaton on Phytological experiments (p. 3), remind me of 
some made by me some eighteen years ago, on the Dahlia. Being anxious to secure some striped 
Dahlias of a superior class, I selected, in the early part of iNIarch, a few cuttings fi'om the propagating 
roots, of about an equal thickness, and about six inches in length. With a sharp knife I cut from the 
bottom part of each cutting, a slice of about three inches, as if for grafting, leaving a bud on the out- 
side and bottom part of each to secure their striking. I then selected two cuttings of different colours, 
contrasting the colour's as much as possible, and carefully bound them together with matthig, as tight 
as the tender nature of the plants would allow ; leaving about a quarter of an inch at the bottoms free 
to emit roots. They were treated in every respect as other Dahlia cuttings. "When the bark began to 
sweU over the matting at the top of the union, it was carefully loosened ; and when the union was 
complete, entirely removed. From some of the pots one of the cuttings was removed above the union, 
but no bud allowed to grow ; the others were planted as stiiick. I looked with some degree of anxiety 
when the flowers began to expand, for the result of my experiment, but met with signal disappoint- 
ment, as they all came true to the coloiu' of the parent plant. Being disappointed in this, I selected 
seed from them, but could see no difference fr'om the produce of that and the plants raised fi-om seed 
taken from other plants. I will, however, try my hand again on some few things, and, in due com'se, 
give the result. 
[Mr. Patterson's experiments will be found to differ materially fi'om that suggested by 3Ir. Beaton. 
The latter was proposed in order to ascertain whether, after the union of two Gloxinia leaves, one tuber 
would be formed at the point of union conjointly by them, and whether in the next season, or, at least, 
after its formation, the bud or buds emitted fi'om that tuber, would partake of the pecuharities of the 
two kinds thus united. No such result could be expected fi'om the mere onwai'd growth of two shoots 
of a plant simply united at their base, as was the case with Mr. Patterson's DaUias. It may, perhaps, 
be questionable whether the proposed attempt could ever result in a successfid issue ; but this it was 
Mr. Beaton's object to have tested on all hands. The idea is exactly accordant with the opinions put 
forth by the late lamented Dean of Manchester, as to the origin of what is called the pm'j)le Labur- 
num ; and as they bear directly on the subject before us, we quote some of Dr. Herbert's words in 
illustration : — 
" The history of the plant is, that it was not raised from seed, but made its appeai-ance in the following re- 
markable way ; — A number of stocks of Labiunum had boon budded with C. pm-pm-eus in a French nursery 
garden, and the bud on one of them died ; but the wood and bark inserted hved, as frequently occiurs in such cases. 
After some time, new eyes formed themselves, one of which produced this hybrid C. Adami. I suggested that it 
must have broken from the exact junctiu-e, and proceeded from a cell of ceUular tissue formed by the imion of two 
cells which had been cut through, and had gro^vn into one ; and which, therefore, belonged to the two different 
plants, half a cell of the tissue of C. purimreus having been spliced to half a cell of C. Labimium. The ncccssaiy 
consequence would be, that a bud formed from that compoimd cell woidd derive qualities from both species, but 
b 
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