The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-06-15
The Mysteries Of Budding.


Synonymous, their results being the
same; the only difference being IN
the mode of application OF the scion
to the stock.
AS a general thing, now days
grating has given place 70 budding,
but in the olden times we hear only
of the former art, the latter more
simple mode of junction between tree
and bud being unknown. IL those
good old times" it was the general
belief that any kind OF scion would
grow on any kind Of stock; for ms
lance, Pliny, Varro, and Columella
oravely assure us that apples and
grapes may be grated on elm, pop
lar and oak trees, and melons on
orange trees.
Now, we always had great deal
of respect for these celebrated ola
gentlemen, and we are not wiling to
accuse them OF willtul prevarication,
so we are quite ready to believe that
some romancing, ancient gardeners
of their days must have played
upon their credulity, and told them
these marvellous tales that have thus
been handed down to a unexpectedly.
Then, coming down to the severn
teenth century, there is Evelyn, the |
quaint publisher Of the first Garden
ers' Almanack" ever printed In Great
Britain, who tells us that he himself
saw in Holland a rose grated on an
orange tree. Well, Holland Is a
queer country. The Holanders are
queer people, and Dame Nature
oftentimes lndulges in queer freaks,
so we will grant Evelyn that Won
dertul rose-orange tree, especially as
he frankly confesses that the strange
scion enjoyed but a short life, dying,
we presume, of inconsistencies.
The famous Professor Thonin tells
us OF many odd experiments OF his
own in this line, but in every case,
even where the scion took" kindly
at first to its strange foster mother, it
soon grew sick because of the unac-
customed food furnished it, and
finally died.
|
horticulture knows, the scion and
stock must either be of identical spe-
cies, or else belong to the same nat
urai family for instance, we may
bud peach on plum, an apple on
a ounce, an orange on lemon, but
not peach on an apple, an orange
on plum, OF ounce on lemon.
1t is not every one who knows that
it is not only fruit trees: rose bushes
and other plants with woody stems,
that may be budded upon others
plants with herbaceous stems are
frequently grated upon their kin
dred; for example, in France, toma-
toes have been grown upon white
potato stock, caulihowers upon cab
hayes, and melons upon cucumbers;
apropos OF this latter item. we would
suggest that the rank-smelling, rank
growing, impudent, rampant melon,
ycleped pie-melon, that is always |
cropping up without leave or license
in our fields, might be made OF great
value by forcing It's vigorous, Won
derful growing powers into the ser
vice of some more respectable, yet
teebler member of the melon family,
by this same method of grating we
mean to try it ourself and would
like companionship in the expert
ment.
We have already said that grating
and budding are almost identical,
save in the mode OF approach OF
scion to stock; in the former whole
twigs, or even large branches are
used as scions, in the latter, only the
little dormant buds that lie 2oe1dM in
the axil OF every leaf; in grating,
the top OF the tree is cut off, usually
close to the ground; in the latter
only the tips OF the growing branches
are pinched of, and right here lies
the secret OF the universal preference
for budding over grating, tor if the
bud refuses, as we may say, to suckle
its foster mother the tree is not in
iured in the least, and, ii the season
permits, another trial may be made
At once; while, if the graft fails, the
stock has at best been put back a
wear or two in its growth, and indeed,
may never recover from the shock al
all
The operation OF propagatiug va
rieties by budding is toll OF mystery,
and wonder; we take a tiny bud not
even developed so as TO be visible 20
The eye, but given g owing Leaf, we
know that it conc'ais thio embryo
ln,d at It's base We c"t slit u the
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