206 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
When a sweet tree is grafted with a sour fruit, all 
the parts above the graft will bear sour apples; and 
all parts below, if branches are allowed to shoot 
out, will bear sweet apples. In the same way, if 
it were possible to make the two parts of a bud ad¬ 
here, which is wholly improbable, then one side of 
the resulting tree would bear sweet apples, and the 
other sour apples, each sort being perfectly distinct. 
The Sweet-and-Sour apple is evidently a distinct va¬ 
riety, produced from seed, resembling the Rhode Is¬ 
land Greening in flavor, but differing in the growth 
of the tree. We have heard a great many persons 
assert that this variety was certainly produced by 
the two halves of the buds; but we have never been 
able to find the man who had performed the opera¬ 
tion or seen it done. Ed. 
Influence of Grafting on Varieties. 
“ Is it true that the straight upright shoots of an 
apple tree set as grafts, will produce straighter 
trees than the lower and curving side shoots? and 
that the trees from grafts cut from young unbearing 
trees will be longer in coming into bearing?” C. T. 
It is a common opinion that a difference is produ¬ 
ced in the new tree by the part of the tree from 
which the grafts are cut. Experiments, however, 
made under the observation of the writer, do not fa¬ 
vor this opinion, as no difference could be observed 
in the results produced. Cultivators sometimes ar¬ 
rive at erroneous conclusions by reasoning by false 
analogy. The improvement in the Indian corn and 
other crops, by successive selections of the seed, has 
induced some to think that similar changes may be 
made by successive selections of grafts. But where 
seed is planted, a new individual or new variety is 
produced at each germination; while grafting or 
budding is only a perpetuation of the same individu¬ 
al or variety. It may indeed be modified for the 
time being, by external and constantly acting caus¬ 
es, but its nature cannot thus be permanently chan¬ 
ged. The quality of a pear is often greatly changed 
by grafting it on the thorn, apple, or quince; but it 
again resumes its former character, when grafted 
back to its original kind of stock. A certain va¬ 
riety of the apple may be changed in quality and 
productiveness, by being transplanted into a differ¬ 
ent soil; but trees propagated from the latter and 
set back into the former soil, will not retain any of 
the change. No permanent influence appears to be 
wrought upon the variety 
To make Peach and other trees bear Young. 
S. W. Cole says, “ To induce early bearing, 
particularly where trees are luxuriant and barren, 
clip off the extremities of the branches in July, 
about one-third of the new growth; this will pro¬ 
duce blossom buds the latter part of summer, for a 
crop the next season. We have found this very 
successful.” A. J. Downing says, “ If you wish 
to bring fruit trees into bearing at an early age, 
pinch off the shoots the first of July, and again at 
the end of six weeks.” 
Soap-Suds for the Grape. 
A. J. Downing says “ I have seen an Isabella 
grape produce 3,000 fine clusters of well ripened 
fruit in a single season, by the liberal use of manure 
and soap-suds from the weekly wash.” 
The effect of soap-suds on other plants is some¬ 
times surprising. A cypress vine, which had re¬ 
mained stationary r - a fortnight when about two 
inches high, immediately commenced growing after 
a good watering with soap-suds, and grow about 6 
inches the first five days. The peach is much bene- 
fitted by soap-suds. 
Peaches and the Curculio. 
The following extracts from a letter of a distin¬ 
guished amateur cultivator, present some interest¬ 
ing facts, relative to the liability of different peach¬ 
es to the attacks of the curculio:— 
Serrate Early York —“This is the best peaclrof 
its season, ripening with me, 3 to 5 days after the 
Early Tillotson—it is not quite so ricn a peach as 
the Tillotson, but more hardy—a good bearer, and 
what is better than all, the curculio does not touch 
it—while they will, literally, eat up the Tillotson, 
stone and all!” 
Large Early York —“ The very best, out of 25 
kinds, that I have growing—the tree is hardy, a 
fine grower, a great bearer, and the fruit is exempt 
from the curculio.” 
“How is it, that the curculio will work at a peach 
quite downy, when those with smooth skins, on an 
adjoining tree, will not be attacked at all? The 
Large Early York is quite a smooth-skinned peach; 
Hills’ Chili, standing next to it, carries as much 
wool as a sheep on its back—still the latter suffers 
dreadfully from their attacks, while the former is 
not touched at all.” D. T. Mosei.ey. Skaneate- 
les, N. Y., April, 1850 
The Tree Box —(Buxus sempervirens.) 
This beautiful evergreen is quite hardy at this 
place—one and a half miles east of the Cayuga 
Lake—though I should be apprehensive of injury, 
where the thermometer at any time in winter, 
indicated twelve or fifteen degrees below zero. I 
have one about 8 feet high, and very bushy. One 
spring, the leaves on shoots of the last year, had as¬ 
sumed a yellowish cast, but they soon recovered their 
color, and there is not a dead twig on the whole 
tree. 
Loudon in his Encyclopsedia of Plants, enumerates 
three species of Buxus, all natives of the Eastern 
world. Speaking of this kind, he says, it is a na¬ 
tive of most parts of Europe from Britain south¬ 
wards, and is very abundant in different parts of 
France and Switzerland. It abounds in many coun¬ 
tries of Asia, as about Mount Caucasus, in Persia, 
China, and America .” The last name however, is 
probably a slip of the pen, as it is not known to be 
indigenous to this continent. 
The box grows well under the shade and drip of 
trees. Like the Yew, it bears clipping; and some¬ 
times it is made to assume very fanciful forms. Such 
objects as novelties indeed, may interest us for the 
moment, but a correct taste will be more charmed 
with the wild luxuriance of nature. I) . T . Great- 
field, near Aurora, N. Y., 4mo., 1850. 
Scions for Budding. 
The wood of rose cuttings should be well matured, 
especially if they are to be sent great distances by 
Express, or to be kept some days before using. 
When detained on the way—and small parcels are 
sometimes overlooked—the most succulent, or least 
ripened wood, always suffers the most. Two years 
ago, I had 56 kinds of rose.cuttings sent me from 
Virginia; but they were kept back by some unwor¬ 
thy agent, longer than the time required from Liver¬ 
pool to New-York, and every one perished, though 
the most succulent were the most decayed. Except 
where the buds are set with very little delay, no sei 
