Observations on the grafting of Trees.

In a Letter from Thomas Andrew
Knight, Esq. to Sir Joseph Banks,
Bart. from the Philofophical Tranf-
actions.

Sir,

AM encouraged to address

trees grafted in the year preceding. I should fucceed in propagating any kind I chofe. With this view, I inserted fome cuttings of the best wood I could find in the old trees, on young ftocks raised from feed. I again inferted grafts and buds taken from these on other young stocks, and, wishing to get rid of all conI repea

I following letter to you, by the nection with the old trees,

opinion you were last year pleased to express of part of my experiments and observations, on the difeases and decay of those varieties of the apple and pear which have been long in cultivation. The disease, from whose ravages they fuffer most is the canker, the effects of which are generally first seen in the winter, or when the fap is first rifing in the spring. The bark becomes discoloured in spots, under which the wood, in the annual shoots, is dead to the centre, and in the older branches, to the depth of the laft summer's growth. Previous to making any experiments, I had conversed with feveral planters, who entertained an opinion, that it was impossible to obtain healthy trees of those varieties which flourished in the beginning and middle of the present century, and which now form the largest orchards in this country. The appearance of the young trees, which I had feen, juftified the conclufion they had drawn; but the filence of every writer on the subject of planting, which had come in my way, convinced me that it was a vulgar error, and the following experiments were undertaken to prove it fo.

I suspected that the appearance of decay in the trees I had feen lately grafted, arose from the difeafed state of the grafts, and concluded that if I took fcions or buds from

4

ted this fix years; each year taking the young shoots from the trees last grafted. Stocks of different kinds were tried, fome were double grafted, others obtained from appletrees which grew from cuttings, and others from the feed of each kind of fruit afterwards inferted on them; I was furprized to find that many of these stocks inherited all the diseases of the parent trees.

The wood appearing perfect and healthy in many of my last grafted trees, I flattered myself that I had fucceeded; but my old enemies, the mofs and canker, in three years convinced me of my mistake. Some of them, however, trained to a fouth wall, escaped all their diseases, and seemed (like invalids) to enjoy the benefit of a better climate. I had before frequently observed, that all the old fruits fuffered least in warm situations, where the foil was not unfavourable. I tried the effects of laying one kind, but the canker destroyed it at the ground. Indeed I had no hopes of fuccefs from this method, as I had observed that feveral forts, which had always been propagated from cuttings, were as much diseased as any others. The wood of all the old fruits has long appeared to me to poffefs lefs elafticity and hardness, and to feel more foft and spongy under the knife, than that of the new varieties which I have obtained from feed.

..

feed. This defect may, I think, be the immediate cause of the canker and moss, though it is probably itfelf the effect of old age, and therefore incurable.

tention of the planter. The root, however, and the part of the flock adjoining it, are greatly more dura ble than the bearing branches; and I have no doubt but that scions obtained from either would grow with vigour, when those taken from the bearing branches would not. The following experiment will, at leaf, evince the probability of this in the pear-tree. I took cuttings from the extremities of the bearing branches of fome old ungrafted pear-trees, and others from feions which sprang out of the trunks near the ground, and inferted fome of each on the fame stocks. The former grew without thorns, as in the cultivated varieties, and produced bloffoms the second year; whilft the latter afsumed the appearance of stocks just raifed from feeds, were covered with thorns, and have not yet produced any bloffoms.

Being at length convinced that all efforts, to make grafts from old and worn out trees grow, were ineffectual, I thought it probable that those taken from very young trees, raised from feed, could not be made to bear fruit. The event here anfwered my expectation. Cuttings from seedling apple-trees of two years old were inserted on stocks of twenty, and in a bearing state. These have now been grafted nine years, and though they have been frequently tranfplanted to check their growth, they have not yet produced a fingle blossom. I have fince grafted fome very old trees with cuttings from feedling appletrees of five years old: their growth has been extremely rapid, and there appears no probability that their time of producing fruit will be accelerated, or that their health will be injured, by the great age of the stocks. A feedling apple tree ufually bears fruit in thirteen or fourteen years; and I therefore conclude, that I have to wait for a bloffom till the trees, from which the grafts were taken, attain that age, though I have reafon to believe, from the form of their buds, that'ferent varieties, but that none of

they will be extremely prolific. Every cutting, therefore, taken from the apple (and probably from every other) tree, will be affected by the state of the parent stock. If that be too young to produce fruit it will grow with vigour but will not blofom, and if it be too old it will immediately produce fruit, but will never make a healthy tree, and confequently never answer the in

The extremities of those branches which produce feeds, in every tree, probably shew the first indication of decay; and we frequently see (particularly in the oak) young branches produced from the trunk, when the ends of the old ones have long been dead. The fame tree, when cropped, will produce an almost eternal fucceffion of branches. The durability of the apple and pear, I have long suspected to be different in dif

either would vegetate with vigour much, if at all, beyond the life of the parent stock, provided that died from mere old age. I am confirmed in this opinion by the books you did me the honour to fend me: of the apples mentioned and described by Parkinson, the names only remain, and those since applied to other kinds now also worn out; but many of Evelyn's are still well known,

particularly the red-streak. This apple, he informs us, was raised from feed by lord Scudamore in the beginning of the laft century. We have many trees of it, but they appear to have been in a ftate of decay during the last forty years. Some others mentioned by him are in a much better state of vegetation; but they have all ceased to deserve the attention of the planter. The durability of the pear is probably fomething more than double that of the apple.

It has been remarked by Evelyn, and by almost every writer fince, on the subject of planting, that the growth of plants raised from feeds was more rapid, and that they produced better trees than those obtain ed from layers or cuttings. This feems to point out fome kind of decay attending the latter modes of propagation, though the custom in the public nurseries of taking layers from ftools (trees cropped annually close to the ground) probably retards its effects, as each plant rises immediately from the root of the parent stock.

an

Were a tree capable of affording eternal fucceffion of healthy plants from its roots, I think our woods muft have been wholly overrun with those species of trees which propagate in this manner, as those scions from the roots always grow in the first three or four years with much greater rapidity than seedling plants. An afpin is feldom seen without a thousand fuckers rifing from its roots; yet this tree is thinly, though univerfally, feattered over the wood-lands of this country. I can speak from experience, that the luxuriance and excessive disposi

tion to extend itself in another plant
which propagates itself from the
root (the raspberry), decline in
twenty years from the feed. The
common elm being always propaga-
ted from scions or layers, and grow-
ing with luxuriance, feems to form
an exception; but as fome varieties
grow much better than others, it
appears not improbable that the
most healthy are those which have
last been obtained from feed. The
different degrees of health in our
peach and nectarine trees may, I
think, arife from the same source.
The oak is much more long-lived
in the north of Europe than here;
though its timber is less durable,
from the numerous pores attending
its flow growth. The climate of
this country being colder than its
native, may, in the fame way, add
to the durability of the elm; which
may possibly be farther increased by
its not producing feeds in this cli-
mate, as the life of many annuals.
may be increased to twice its natu-
ral period, if not more, by prévent-
ing their feeding.

I have been induced to say a great
deal more on this subject than, I
fear, you will think it deserves, from
a conviction that immenfe advan-
tages would arife from the cultiva-
tion of the pear and apple in other
counties, and that the ill fuccess
which has attended any efforts to pro-
pagate them, has arifen from the
use of worn out and diseased kinds.
Their cultivation is ill understood
in this country, and worse practised;
yet an acre of ground, fully planted,
frequently affords an average pro-
duce of more than five hundred
gallons of liquor, with a tolerably
good crop of grass; and I have not

• Probably about the year 1634

the

the least doubt but that there are large quantities of ground in almost every county in England capable of affording an equal produce.

In the autumn of the year 1786, the closet was locked up about ter weeks; on opening it, numerous fungi were observed about the lower part of it, and a white mould was spread by a plant resembling a vine or fea-weed, and the whole of the infide, China, &c. was covered with a fine powder of the colour of THO. AND. KNIGHT. brick-dust. It being then cleaned

I have only to add an assurance, that the refults of the foregoing experiments are correctly stated; and

that

I am, Sir, &c.

Elton, Herefordshire,
April 13, 1795.

The dry-rot having taken place in one of my parlours, in fuch a manner as to require the pulling down part of the wainscot every third year, and perceiving that it arose from a damp stagnated air, and from the moisture of the earth, I determined, in the month of June, 1783, to build a narrow closet next the wall through which the damp came to the parlour, which had thedefired effect; but, though it put a total stop to the rot in the parlour, the evil foon appeared in the closet; fungi of a yellow colour arose, to a great degree, in various parts of it,

out, I foon perceived (what indeed
I did not expect) that the evil had
impregnated the wood fo far as to
run through every shelf therein,
and the brackets that supported
them; it had also seized upon, and
destroyed, a movable board for
breaking sugar on. I therefore, in
the beginning of the year 1787, de
termined to strip the whole closet of
lining and floor, and not leave a par
ticle of the wood behind; and alfo
to dig and take away about two feet
of the earth in depth, and leave the
walls to dry, so as to destroy the
roots or feeds of the evil. When,
by time, and the admission of air,
and good brushing, it had become
sufficiently dry and cleansed; I filled
it, of fufficient height for my joifts,
with anchor-fmiths afhes; knowing
that no vegetable would grow in
them. My joists being fawed off to
their proper lengths, and fully pre-
pared, they and their plates were
well charred, and laid upon the ath-
es; particular directions being given
that not any scantling or board
might be cut or planed in the place,
lest any duft or shavings might drop
among the ashes. My flooring
boards being very dry, I. caufed
them to be laid close, to prevent
the 'dirt getting down, which, I
thought, in a course of time, might
bring on vegetation.

The framing for lining the closet was then fiixed up, having all the lower lower pannels let in to be fastened with buttons only; that, in case any vegetation should arife, the pannels might, with ease, be taken out to examine them.

This having now been done upwards of fix years, and no vegitation or damp appearing, the whole of the pannels and floor remaining in the same state as when first put in, I shall have a fatisfaction in taking part of the floor up, if the fociety think proper to appoint a committee to examine the place.

If what I have produced meets the approbation of the society, I wish it made public under their sanction, that as full a trial as poffible may be made of it; and if, at a proper distance of time, it proves of general utility, any honourary oken of the fociety's approbation will be received with much fatifaction by

me.

I think it may be highly necessary, nsome fituations, to take out a greater depth of earth; and where thes can be had from a foundery, hey are fully equal to those from nchor-fmiths, but by no means deDend upon house-ashes. I am, &c. ROBERT BATSON.

In consequence of the foregoing etter, a committee was appointed ⚫ examine and report the state of he closet, who met on the 15th of lay, 1794; the wainscot being taen down, and the flooring-boards aken up, they were all found enirely free from any appearance of he rot; and, from all the circumtances then observed, it was the pinion of the committee, that the nethod advised by Mr. Batson,

1lb.

1lb.

flowers of fulphur, mushrooms, any kind, 2lb. river or rain water, 15 gls. Divide the water into two equal parts; pour one part, that is to say, seven gallons and a half, into a barrel, of any convenient fize, which should be used only for this purpose; let the black foap be stirred in it till it is dissolved, and then add to it the mushrooms, after they have been flightly bruised.

Let the remaining half of the water be made to boil in a kettle; put the whole quantity of fulphur into a coarse open cloth; tie it up with a packthread in form of a parcel, and fasten to it a stone or other weight, of some pounds, in order to make it fink to the bottom. If the kettle is too small for the feven gallons and a half of water to be boiled in at once, the fulphur must also be divided. During twenty minutes (being the time the boiling should continue) ftir it well with a

* The Bureau de Confultation of Paris gave a reward to the author of this composition for is difcovery, which they defired might be made as public as possible.

stick,