The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1892-02-12
GRAFT HYBRIDS.
IS THERE ANY SUCH TO BE FOUND
IN FACT?

A hybrid is q cross generated. between
individuals of distinct species. For in
stance, cross between the horse and
ass, dog and wolf, blackberry and rasp-
berry, or between two or more males
and females of distinct species. A hy-
brid may have more than one male
parent. For instance, the female Or
gans of straw berry may receive and
absorb the pollen from more than one
male of different, or even of two or
more distinct species, and the product
partakes of the specific characteristics
of three or more species. The same may
be true of some animal hybrlds.
Hybrids are rarely produced naturally
in the wild state, buSby careful manip-
ulation by man such generation is now
not difficult, even between species that
only a few years ago were supposed not
to be hybridized.
There are supposed graft hybrids" of
trees and plants which show the specific
characteristics of two varieties commin-
gled. Such have been called graft hy-
brids. shall try to make it clear that
there can be no such thing. And that
such varieties are due to bud variation
or other cause, rather than the impossi-
BILE one of graft hybridity.
The natural laws governing the gener-
alton of hybrids are mostly all as yet un-
known, but are fast being learned. The
great Darwin of only few years ago is
bridity, though he gave the subject a
vast amount of study and labor.
Many of the old accepted facts have
proven not to be true.
Even yet hybridity is carrying load
of supposed facts which cannot possibly
be facts, one of which l wish to treat
here in a popular way: that is, what
have been called, wrongly think, graft
hybrids. Either the laws of growth as
now generally accepted are not true, or
else graft hybridity is not true. The
simplest defninition of graft hybrid
will answer our purpose.
Graft hybrids are claimed to be pro-
duced by grating or budding one spe-
cies of tree QUITO another. For instance,
the plum ON the peach. And then the
tree or branch which grows from such
bud or graft, showing a more or less
complete mixture Of the pecullarities of
both species. Or if such graft or bud
produced fruit something like necta-
rine, - neither, peach nor plum, - nor
quite like any nectarine and with
leaves, etc., also varied, such was called
new fruit, Il graft hybrid.
Now, the accepted laws of all growth,
whether animal or vegetable, that have
withstood the most careful scrutiny and
found to be correct. with no deviation
whatever, are as follows:
To understand them fully we will
have to begin with the primal genera
tion of an individual life of any kind.
Such life has its origin in single cell.
This cell having been formulated within
female, in all higher life, in the regu-
lar way, as here given. Such particular
cell, or cells,-for it may have repro
duced two or many cells before the fol-
lowing happens, then is. or are, pene-
trated by or absorb cell, OF cells, form
ulated within the male parent. Then
the cell, or cells, resulting from this fu-
sion or mingling, ever after remain the
same thing specifically, SO far as life
power is concerned. Cells may differ in
size and shape, as per their environment
and use, in the different portions of the
life of which they are part. If we
could take any one cell from horse Or
tree and nourish it SO that it would con-
tinue to multiply itself in the natural
way long enough, it would eventually
reproduce the same kind of horse or
tree, that it was taken from. This is
the theory, and though not possible in
higher forms of life, is, in the lower
forms.
| Then there is no exception that all
growth is formed by the self division of
cells in this way. We have had the birth
or beginning of the cell and found it to
be an individual with specific character
istics. Now, for growth: we have the
cell; it may be of any size, shape or
form. Usually it is very minute. To
increase growth, OF life, its internal con-
tents divide about equally, and take po-
sitions in, we will say, either end of the
cell. The walls of the cell then contract
and divide the cell, forming two cells,
the exact counterpart specifically of the
original cell. Millions of millions of
such divisions could not do otherwise
than reproduce the same thing contipu-
ously. And further, if we could nourish
one of these individual cells, no odds if
taken from the root, bark, wood, BIOS
som Or leaf of an apple tree, the result
ing growth would be that same variety
of apple tree.
Then to gain graft hybrid, cell in
the peach wood, for instance, would need
to be divided through it's center, and
one of the plum divided in the same
way, not only through the center of the
cell walls, but the minute speck of pro-
toplasm within the cells must be also
exactly divided. And then all the parts
of these divided cells must grow to.
gether. Then the new cell thus abnor.
mally formed must divide and form two
cells. These divide, forming four, ETC..
all carrying the specific characteristics
of the one original cell, made up of two
halves as imagined. And all the growth
of the supposed graft hybrid" must
result from these cells, which is physi
cal impossibility. Graft or bud as mi
nutely as possible great many cell.
must be involved, uniting the two diff
ferent woods, only small portion Of
which could be divided and unite a.
above. While the vegetable physiolo
gist knows that it is practically impossi
BILE for even any two halves to so unite
The only other way by which an in
crease of growth is known to form. is bJ
what is known as the growth OF a eel
tbt budding. A protuberance forms or
d ceu and grows into another cell like
She enc it grows from. lntime the CON