STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 13 



^fr. Weir here introduced iiiid read a paper upon " Tree Cul- 

 ture," and took the position that one cause of the loss of our orchard 

 trees is due to a radical chanf^e in the kinds, or species of grasses or 

 vegetation growths; many of the original grasses having becouie 

 almost (if not entirely) extinct, while new sorts, less friendly to tree 

 growth, have taken their places. Added to this, we have insect 

 work, climatic changes, and the results of overbearing. But the 

 horticulturist has prol)ably passed the great crisis in his occupation, 

 and the future is pregnant with hope. 



Mr. Lathrop — I do not agree with Mr. Weir as to the effect of 

 grasses upon our orchards, (to west into our Territories, where 

 tame grasses have never been introduced, what is it there that injures 

 our orchard trees? 



Mr. Weir — Climate changes. 



] )r. Lyman Hall — Some trees are so vigorous in growth as to 

 keep down or kill whatever attempts to grow beneath them, but 

 trees of less vigor cannot do this. Then I take the position that it 

 makes a great difference as to the kind of stock which we do our 

 grafting on, a hardy stock is certainly an advantage. 



J. T. Johnson — A sound, health}' root is certainly necessary, 

 but my observation leads me to the conclusion that the top controls 

 the root, if not the whole stock. At two years old you cannot tell 

 what was the character of the root used in grafting; a Ben Davis 

 will show Ben Davis roots, etc., etc. 



C. X. Dennis — (holding in his hand a tree of one year's 

 growth) — This tree was planted April 19, 1886. You see it has 

 made a good growth and (splitting the root and stock) is perfectly 

 sound. I do not know what the root w^as. I use sound roots only, 

 and find no difficulty in growing sound trees. 



H. D. Brown — (holding up two trees, one a root graft and the 

 other a stock budded tree.) We are sometimes told that a rout 

 grafted tree has a small patch of dead wood at the junction of root 

 and scion, and that the budded tree is sound, but you will observe 

 that such is not the fact. This root-grafted tree is perfectly sound, 

 while the budded tree shows a small patch of dead wood at the 

 point of junction. As a rule I consider root-grafted trees equal to 

 any other. 



