550 RKPORT OF okkk^p: <»f kxpkiumKxNt stations. 



Island stations have reported exjx'rinients of this cliaractin*. On the 

 other hand, in Nebraska. Oehiware, \\'ashin<^(on. New Jersey, and 

 New York the nsnal method ol' plant in«4" has been more satisfactory, 

 stuh-root piiminj;- provinjjf k'ss \ahiabh' and often (h'ci(h'dly injnrious. 

 Climate seems to eti'eet the success of the stub-pruned method of han- 

 dling treesmon^than soil, since in th(U'.\periments cited above the stub- 

 pruned trees made a jrooil growth on a red loam with a stiff rod-clay 

 subsoil at the (Jeorgia Station, and as good a gi'owth on heavy clay 

 land in Delaware as on lighter sand. In the dry climate of Nebraska 

 stub pruning was practically a failure, while moiv or less success fol- 

 lowed its observance in the more moist Atlantic and Gulf coast 

 States. 



The results of Professor Card's expei'iments in both Nebraska and 

 Rhode Island led him to reconunend planting trees with all the roots 

 left on except those that have been nuitilated. Professor Powell, on 

 the other hand, reconnnends fruit growers in Delaware to plant trees 

 with the roots trimmed l)ack to a length of 8 to .5 inches. The expe- 

 rience of station horticulturists is ciuite concordant in showing that the 

 root system developed by stub-prunc^d ai)ple trees is not more down- 

 ward, as claimed by Mr. Stringfellow, than is the root system formed 

 by trees planted the ordinary way. Nor does cutting back the trunk 

 of the apple tree to a mere stick 12 inches long conduce to the forma- 

 tion of as desirable a trunk as by pruning in the usual way. In short, 

 the chief advantage which the Stringfellow method of stub pruning 

 seems to possess over other methods in localities where it will succeed 

 at all is the greater convenience in handling and greater ease in set- 

 ting out stub-pruned trees. The safest method for most northern and 

 western localities is the old method where])v the limbs are pruned 

 back about half and all the roots left on or slightly shortened, all the 

 mutilated roots being removed. 



HARDY STOCKS. 



In South Dakota" Russian seedlings of J*yrus haccata have proved 

 the only varieties perfectly resistant against root killing in severe 

 winters. In a report by the Wisconsin Station, '^ covering the whole 

 region of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas, and Manitoba, it 

 is stated that crabs were less injured than common apples during the 

 February freeze of 1899, when the temperatui-e in some localities fell 

 as low as —52° F. , and this fact suggests the advisability of using crab 

 roots for stock in the Northwest. Nursery apple stock least injured 

 by the freeze was Duchess of Oldenburg, Hibernal, AVealthy, and 

 Whitney No. 20, in the order named. In the orchard 23 correspond- 

 ents reported Wealthy least injured, 21 Duchess of Oldenburg, 9 



aSouth Dakota Sta. Bui. 65. tWisconsiii Sta. P.nl. 77 



