368 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
INFLUENCE OF THE STOCK IN GRAFTING OR BUDDING. 
Me. Editor —There are few subjects which have oc¬ 
casioned more discussion among Horticulturists, or occa¬ 
sioned more diversity of sentiment, than the one named 
at the head of this paper. By some, it has been sup¬ 
posed that the quality of the fruit produced on grafts 
was much influenced by the character of (he stock upon 
which the graft was set, a change attributed to the dif¬ 
ference in quality of the juices of the two parts. This 
opinion was perhaps more common formerly than at 
present, and was based on the supposition that the juices 
of the stock taken up by the roots was immediately avail¬ 
able in the production and growth of the fruit. Others 
have concluded that although the stock exercised some 
influence on the graft, it was only in consequence of the 
means which it offered for the more free circulation, or 
retardation of the sap. This opinion is the prevailing 
one, and is founded on a better knowledge of the physi¬ 
ology of plants, which teaches that whatever elabora¬ 
tion or change the sap undergoes, is performed in the 
leaves of the plant or tree, and therefore must possess 
the same qualities of the graft, and not of the stock. 
One of the earliest writers, to give a decided opinion 
on this subject, was Lord Bacon, who says, “ that the 
scion overruleth the graft quite, the stock being passive 
only.” Lindley, one of the ablest of writers on Horti¬ 
culture, says ,—“ Those who fancy that the quince com¬ 
municates some portion of its austerity to the pear, can 
scarcely have considered the question physiologically, or 
they would have seen that the whole of the food commu¬ 
nicated from the alburnum of the quince to that of the 
pear, is in nearly the same state as when it entered the 
roots of the former. Whatever elaboration it undergoes, 
must necessarily take place in the foliage of the pear; 
where far from the influence of the quince, secretions 
natural to the variety go on with no more interruption, 
than if the quince formed no part of the individual.” 
Miller, in his work on Gardening, says, “crab stocks 
cause apples to be firmer, to keep longer, and to have a 
sharper flavor.” Mr. Knight, speaking of the change 
produced in fruit by placing scions on different stocks, 
says, “ the effects produced by grafting are similar 
to those which occur when the descent of the sap is im¬ 
peded by a ligature, or by the destruction of a circle of 
bark;” that is, it dwarfs the tree, and causes a more rapid 
maturity, when scions are placed on slower growing 
stocks, as the apple on the crab, the pear on the quince, 
&e. 
It is also evident that grafts do not affect the stock; 
that is, the scion does not impart any of its distinctive 
qualities to the part of the tree below the point of inser¬ 
tion. Still the annual layers of wood formed on the 
stock must have been elaborated in the foliage of the 
scion, as asserted by Professor Lindley, and should, un¬ 
less changed in its nature in passing from the scion to the 
stock, possess the same qualities. That it does not, is 
certain from the fact, that sprouts forming in the latest 
layers^of wood, always retain the character of the stock, 
instead of the scion that has formed the wood from which 
they sprung, and that furnished the elaborated juice for 
their nutrition. It appears clear therefore that during 
the life of the individual, the point of junction formed 
by the meeting of the stock and the scion, constitutes a 
line of demarcation, across which the influence of either 
cannot pass. In some kinds of trees this impassibility is 
rendered very perceptible. For instance when the pear 
is grafted on the apple, the ring formed at the point of 
insertion, and the more rapid growth of the pear shows 
that the peculiar qualities of the pear wood are unable to 
force themselves below the scion, and give to the layers 
of the stock the same growth which belongs to the scion, 
and which would result, were not the qualities of the 
elaborated sap changed at that point. 
Some have supposed that the influence of the stock is 
so great, that trees raised from the seed of grafted or bud¬ 
ded fruit, will, in their fruit, resemble the stock, rather 
than the scion. This notion has been brought to my 
recollection by the third no. of that beautiful work, the 
“ Orchardist’s Companion.” In that number, among the 
othf'* figured fruits, is a fine specimen of the apricot,! 
presented to the proprietor by C. Morris, of Philadel¬ 
phia, who, in a note accompanying it, remarks as fol¬ 
lows:—“ The tree which produced the fruit is a graft 
upon a plum stock; my next door neighbor has a tree 
growing from a stone of my apricot, which produces an 
ordinary blue plum, ripening late in the season; the 
trees are very different in appearance, both in leaf and 
growth; my apricot ripens the earliest of any tree of the 
kind—say early in July,” I find from the Farmer’s 
Cabinet, which has noticed the occurrence, that many 
seem to consider the production of a plum from the seed 
of an apricot grafted on a pium stock, as a species of 
transmutation, akin to that of wheal into chess, a notion 
which has too long abused the public mind. The truth 
seems to be that the apricot is rather a plum than a peach, 
with which it is usually classed, and its tendency to return 
to its original type appears more manifest when the favor¬ 
able circumstance of a union with a plum stock is pre¬ 
sent. This view of the subject will appear the more 
reasonable, when it is remembered that in England, the 
peach and nectarine, as well as the apricot, are usually 
propagated by grafting on plum stocks; but it is be¬ 
lieved no one has ever heard of the plum slock having 
such an influence on the peach or nectarine, as to cause 
the seeds of these to produce plum trees. The observa¬ 
tion of Mr. McIntosh on the culture of these fruits, 
would seem to be decisive on the subject of change. 
It seems probable then, that the stock exercises no 
other influence on the scion, than what is owing to (he 
quantity of sap furnished, and that the kind or quality 
makes no difference whatever; since the formation of 
wood, flowers, and fruit depend on the juices elaborated 
in the scion. It is on the principle that the retardation, 
or lessening the supply of sap, increases the quantity of 
the fruit, that ringing or the removal of a narrow strip 
of bark, and twisting a wire around a branch is some¬ 
times resorted to by orchardists and gardeners. It is for 
a similar reason that grafting apples on crab stocks, 
pears on the quince, &c., is practiced; the supply of sap 
is reduced, the tree produced is dwarfed; and the cer¬ 
tainty of fruit is proportionably increased. It is certain 
that scions taken from the same tree, and grafted into 
trees indicating by their vigor or habits of growth, a dif¬ 
ference in the supply of sap, will when they come into 
bearing, produce fruit materially differing in size, and 
also in some slight degree in appearance, color, and taste. 
This is sufficiently accounted for on the principle laid 
down above; and there appears no necessity for resor - 
ing to any other method of the stock's acting on the 
scion, to explain these variations. It is a subject, how¬ 
ever, of some consequence to the horticulturist, and I 
for one should be pleased to have some of your corres¬ 
pondents who have experience in such matters, give us 
their opinion in relation to it. Fruitgrower. 
ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF THE MASS. HORT. SOCIETY. 
Mr. Tucker —Having been a delegate to the Massa¬ 
chusetts Horticultural Society, at their recent exhibition, 
I will make a few comments thereon, which may not 
prove uninteresting. The collection of pears exhibited 
was very numerous, and comprised a large number of 
the newer varieties, and very many also of the old va¬ 
rieties that succeed well on walls and in sheltered gar¬ 
dens when budded on the quince, but are useless for 
open orchard culture. Leon le Clerc, of Van Mons, 
Clion, Columbia, (native,) Flemish Beauty, Beurre Biel, 
and Duchesse d'Angouleme, were the most attractive for 
their size and good quality united. The collection of 
pears from the garden of Col. Wilder, the liberal and 
distinguished President of the Society, was the most 
recherche in its assortment. The collection from Mr. 
Manning was more numerous, but less select. Other 
collections from B. V. French, Josiah Lovett, J. S. Ca¬ 
bot, Samuel Walker, O. Johnson, Rev. A. B. Muzzy, 
Jacob Deane, J. M. Ives, and C. Newhall, Esqrs., were 
highly respectable both in numbers and excellence. 
The exhibition of apples was secondary in extent to 
that of pears, and the assortment of peaches and plums 
was in no wise extraordinary, being very limited in 
variety, and deficient in a number of estimable kind? 
