90 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



may be preserved for an indetinite length of time. Having had no experience in 

 storing and keeping large quantitie3 of apples through the winter, I will not dis- 

 cuss the question of how to construct cellars, but leave it to those who are more 

 competent. G. W. FIopkins, 



Springtield. 



APPLE-ROT AND WOOLLY APHIS. 



Mammoth Springs, Ark. D^c. 3, 1892 

 Mr. Helvern : 



Dear Sir— I am indeed sorry that I cannot go with you to Carthage ; circum- 

 stances are such that I cannot leave at this time. I know what I shall miss in not 

 being with you. and the great gathering together of the people of Missouri who 

 are engaged in the horticulture ; but I hope you will be both profitably and agree- 

 ably entertained, and bring back with you much valuable information about our 

 orchards and fruit interests, how to grow healtby trees, trees that will grow deep- 

 into the ground, with tap-roots that^ will hold the tree firm and strong during 

 the storms ; get the experience of men who have grown piece-root and whole-root 

 side and side — the best way to combat the rojt-loiise or woolly aphis, which I 

 believe is the cause of three-fourths of all apple trees that die. After much of 

 my observation and getting the experience of many others, I am almost ready to 

 believe that piece-root apple trees will not do in our country. We must have a 

 whole-root tree, a tree that has the character of a tree that grows as a tree, by 

 sending down deep into our red clay soil. Tap-roots, anchor-roots or stay-roots,, 

 or what you may call them, that will take hold of the earth and hold fast. I am 

 not ready to say aught against the piece-root, for their may be soil on bottom- 

 lands that are loose, sandy and loamy, that they will tind good anchorage and da 

 well. I believe they grow faster and look well for a time ; bear earlier, but 1 have 

 seen trees young and thrifty, blown over, and saw them full of apples too, but on 

 looking at the roots found them without a tap-root at all; all the roots were sur- 

 face roots feeding on the loose soil oa top, and when the rains came and the soil 

 was loose and soft, over went the tree with the first hard wind. 



Now, I may be wrong, but I am almost ready to believe a grafted top-root 

 or piece-root changes entirely that tree to surface-roots, and if so, then may we 

 not account for another thing — apple rot? Now this apple-rot stares many apple 

 growers in the face and scares many from planting to make a business of it. If a 

 piece-root tree sends out only top-soil roots, and does not send roots down into the 

 deep-bedded soils, does it not follow that the tree does not get at the salts and 

 bases, the acids and alkalis, that of a necessity by their weight and the common 

 law of gravitation, sink into lower levels and below where these side and top- 

 roots reach. If apples are to be perfect, sound, healthy and of fine flavor, our tree* 

 must be of that character and kind that they will send their roots down deep into- 

 the sub-soils where the acids, salts and alkalis lie hidden. Now, will the piece- 

 root apple-tree do it ? and right here, may we not suppose the apple-rot is largely 

 due from the character of the tree not having the power to reach after these acids 

 and bases. On this point, Mr. Helvern, I consider it an important point, especially 

 with us. We must have a tree that will penetrate with its roots our deep, red clay 

 soils, and reach after the hidden treasures far below the surface. On this point f 

 hope you can bring back with you much information that will do us good, for there 

 is a cause for this apple-rot. It shows a lack of some element in the make-up of 

 the ingredients of the apple, and I am led to believe if a tree gathers its foodfrouk 

 the top-soil it don't get all the elements of the apple. 



