CORNEIxL UNIVEKSITY EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 241 



The varieties also unite readily with the Marianna; and Domestica plum 

 stocks, myrobalan, and peach are also used. In general, it may be said that 

 a variety prefers a stock of its own species, although the true Chickasaws 

 sprout or sucker so badly as to make them undesirable. In the northern 

 states, especially in the prairie region, the Primus Americana stocks are 

 most reliable because of their hardiness; and as the Americana varieties 

 are the ones chiefly grown in this region, the problem is a comparatively 

 simple one. Wild Goose is grown largely upon the peach in the warmer 

 latitudes and some growers prefer this stock even in the north. All the 

 Chickasaws grow well upon the peach, as do also Miner, Forest Hose, and 

 perhaps all the Hortulana type. Recently the Marianna has come to be a 

 popular stock upon which to work all varieties; and so far as known it is 

 one of the best, although I fear that its indiscriminate use may result in 

 some disappointment. Mr. G. Onderdonk, a well known nurseyman and 

 fruitgrower of Texas, is certain that the Marianna is preferable to the 

 peach as a stock for the southern native plums. His reasons for this 

 opinion are as follows: 



" 1st. The peach sometimes sprouts from the roots. The Marianna never 

 does this. 



"2d. The peach has more eyes or buds near the surface of the soil, both 

 above and below, than the Marianna. These eyes cause at least two or 

 three times more pruning in the case of peach stocks than in Marianna. 



"3d. The peach requires better drainage than the plum stock. I raise 

 good healthy plum trees on Marianna stocks in places where it would be 

 useless to plant anything on peach stocks. 



"4th. The peach stock is subject, under certain conditions, to root-rot. 

 I have never seen a case of root-rot among Mariannas. 



" 5th. While the Marianna is subject to root-knot as well as the peach, 

 yet it very seldom fails to have the knot at the bottom, so that it can be cut 

 away without injury to tree. In case of peach stocks the tree is usually 

 lost when infested with root-knot. 



" 6th. In extreme southern Texas peach seeds fail to germinate either 

 totally or partially after a mild winter. In the spring of 1890, not a single 

 peach seed germinated in this section. We have much annoyance from 

 this source. On the contrary we have never failed of securing a good 

 ■ stand of Marianna plants from cuttings, when they had been properly 

 treated. Therefore the Marianna makes us a sure supply of stocks for 

 propagation of plum trees, which the peach does not do in southern Texas. 

 Further north these, conditions may be less worthy of consideration. 



" 7th. As each peach seedling is a distinct variety from every other one, 

 and the different varieties vary materially in vigor, and often in other 

 habits, it follows that the stocks necessarily vary in capacity to develop 

 trees. On the other hand a reasonable amount of care in selecting cuttings 

 of the Marianna enables us lo produce stocks of nearly uniform capacity, 

 and therefore to produce trees of a more nearly uniform strength and 

 value." 



These comparisons will hold, Mr. Onderdonk thinks, in reference to 

 stocks for apricots, but for peaches the Marianna is a failure with him. 



Sprouts from own-rooted trees are often employed for increasing native 

 plums, of such varieties as sprout readily, as Miner, Wild Goose, Forest 

 Garden, De Soto, and various Chickasaws. But this practice is not in 

 general favor. 



3. Varieties. — The question of the best varieties for certain purposes 

 31 



