STATE HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 83 



or when worked upon its own roots. It is possible, by forcing 

 growths out of the parental form, to make it more liable to freaks 

 of nature — sports. 



J. V. Cotta — Last year Mr. Vaughn was pitted against me on 

 top-working. You have read his theory, and if it is correct where 

 are our fruit trees to come from. Now, in our commercial nurseries, 

 all of the apple seeds come from the cider mills, and they are likely 

 to continue to do so for time to come. Some of the Russian vari- 

 eties are not sufficiently hardy to stand the rigors of our climate; 

 this is being proved every year. We can only get hardy trees by 

 getting hardy stocks; it makes little or no difference as to the root. 

 A tree never root-kills; the trouble is in the stock. Hence, we must 

 grow hardy stocks and top-work with the kind of fruit we wish to 

 produce. [Here the speaker made a number of exhibitions of trees,' 

 two of a kiud, in each instance one being a root-graft and the other 

 top-worked. They showed the top-worked trees making a better 

 and more healthy growth than the root-grafts.J I have never lost 

 a Willow when grafted on a Milton crab stock. 



Mr. J. A. Spear — I top work my trees, and do the work in Feb- 

 ruary ; they do better then than later worked. My forte is to graft 

 upon the branches above the fork, a few inches. I give no care to 

 the roots. A tree never root-kills ; any root, if healthy, will do ; 

 but I use a hardy stock and common grafting wax. 



Secretary — The difference between Mr. Cotta and Mr. Spear 

 is, the former trims his stock to a whip before grafting, while the 

 latter does his work above the fork, a few inches ; his theory being 

 that he wants a little more of the hardy stock. 



J. Webster — The greatest danger to orchard trees comes of 

 bark- bursting, and these plans may be of advantage in preventing 

 this in our severe climate. 



H. M. Dunlap — If the top does not influence, how does it hap- 

 pen that there is such an apparent effect upon the growth? 



Prof. T. J. Burrill — Some trees grow very rapid only while 

 young; others grow more rapid at a more advanced age. A type of 

 the former is the box elder, and of the latter the hard maple. Some 

 wood is more affected by grafting than others. 



