The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-05-28

plant, they reach the fibres of the bud
more elaborated than if drawn more di-
rectly from the soil but whatever may
be their condition when they enter the
bud they are there always modified by
it's organs as are those elements drawn
from the air, and as those taken from
the earth would be, if it were placed
with its own roots directly in the soil
Experience has confirmed these prin-
ciples, and it is now established that the
graft is useful only in perpetuating spe-
I'cies or varieties without improving them.
| have made constant observations on
this subject during more than fifteen
years, by keeping beside the grated
plant the plant which furnished the bud.
l have grated oranges upon lemons and
lemons upon oranges. I have grated
sweet oranges upon bitter oranges and
bitter oranges upon sweet ones; apricots
on prunes and peaches upon apricots !;
and | never could recognize the least
difference between the fruits given by
the plant which furnished the graft and
those of the plant which received it. l
never obtained from these operations
any other result than that of preserving
rare varieties, which could not be propa-
gated by seed, for the double reason that
they but rarely contained any, and that
when they did, we could obtain from
them usually, only degenerated varie-
ties.
The theoretic principles which prove
the inSutficiency OF the stock and
of the sap to effect changes in
the product of the graft, can not be
equally applied to those remarkable
gratis formed by the union of two or
three buds, the manner of which occur
renee is described in the works of an
cient writers upon agriculture, and to
which it is still pretended mixed species
are due, such as the or inge de bizdrrerie,
which partakes of the character Of the
orange, the lemon and the citron.
We have great difficulty in conceiying
how two halt buds, applied the one upon
single bud partaking of the nature of the
two. | would not dare cite my expert
nised ense e. RFeys shi inserted d :n ha
gous stock, or even placed in the earth
| perish if too much mutilated, or devel-
op, each one separately, its scion.
| The i'll success of-these operations
would be only a negative proof, which
could not destroy the facts if any existed
but 1 challenge the gardeners to cite me
an example, supported by impartial OBJ
servations, whose exactness they can
guarantee. Moreover, if in presenting
me such all example they offer me only
such individuals as those possess and
such as have seen in Liguria, in Tusca-
ny, and such as are known in France
under the name of orange de bizdrrerie, L
would venture to contradict them re-
specting it.
The anatomy ofsthe tissue of these
individuals would furnish me an irresist-
ible argument. This tissue does not
present traces OF three buds to whose
unions the hybrid is pretended to be due.
1t shows only branch which bears at
one time, but isolated under distinct
leaves, buds of three species and buds
which give mixed fruit, without, how
ever, enabling us to recognize in these
species of embryos anything announcing
this mixture.
l will not speak of these imaginary
gratis by which some have pretended to
make branches of the fig, grape, rose,
and jasmine grow on orange and lemon
stocks. | have several times seen such
phenomena in Tuscany and Milan, and
confess to having been deceived by them !;
but having been long time cheated by
those gardeners, who sold at exorbitant
prices ridiculous recipes for obtaining
these extraordinary unions, and after
having lost, by making trial of them,
several orange stocks finally succeeded
in discovering the fraud, and am con-
vinced that these Heterogeneous unions
do not exist in nature. bought vase
containing an orange stock on which a
fig scion seemed to be grated. AS soon
as got possession of it l opened the
stock where the fig branch was inserted,
and discovered that this stock was
followed out inside, and that through
this hole in the interior the would-be
graft found it's way to the soil, thus liv-
ing upon its own root instead of that of
the orange tree This discovery COM
pleted my conviction that a difference
really exists in the organs of different
vegetables as well as the organs of ami
mails, and that from this difference of
organization the difference of product
results. / know that in the vegetable
kingdom details escape the observation
of the Psychologist, and it is extremely
difficult to give some of the comparative
anatomical appearances of vegetables,
but it is for this reason no less true that
differences may exist and be as un-
changeable as in the animal kingdom.
Every species has its determined forms,
which may be destroyed but not modi-
fed, whatever the nature of the stock
which nourishes the plant, it will always
give the product proper to its species.