14 



SYSTEMATIC POMOLOGY 



Fig. 



Stolon and canes of black raspberry. 



becomiiifT prostrato takes root at the nodos or tips wlion these 

 touch ground, as in tiic l)la(*k rasjjbcrry ( Fi^r. 7), currant, and 

 jTOOseberry. In the horl icnltui'al operation of hnjcriiuf, plants 

 wliicli may or may not naturally make stolons are bent down, and 

 after rootinjj: at the nodes, as most plants will, arc made into 

 separate individuals by cutting: the connecting stems. After a 

 turion, stolon, or seedling of a bi'anible pas.ses its first year the 

 stem is called a cane. 



22. Size and habit of plant. — Size of plant is a very reliable 

 character in determininii' any of the hardy fruits. The Rome 



Hcauty apple, Win- 

 ter Nelis pear, Eng- 

 lish ^lorello cherry, 

 and Crosby peach, 

 as examples, are all 

 dwarfs as compared 

 with other varieties 

 of their kinds. Size 

 varies greatly, it 

 must be remembered 

 in using this character, with environment and care. The 

 terms large, small, and medium, are commonly employed to 

 designate size. Vigor must not be confused with size. Small 

 trees may have as much vigor, or internal energy, as large 

 ones. 



Habit of growth, as understood by pomologists, has reference 

 to the form of the top. In describing the tops of trees a num- 

 ber of explanatory terms are used; as, upright, spreading, droop- 

 ing, tall, low, dense, open-topped, vase-form. Vines, brambles, 

 bush-fruits, and strawberries may have several of the terms for 

 describing tree-fruits applied to them and in addition : strag- 

 gling, sprawling, stout, slender, compact, and so on. A fruit- 

 grower with a trained eye can tell almost any variety of the sev- 

 eral fruits by its habit of growth. European gooseberries are 

 stocky with upright straight branches, while American goose- 

 berries have slender stems, which curve, droop, spread, or sprawl. 

 The form of the top may make a plant easy or difficult to manage 

 in the orchard. Habit of gro\vth is affected very little by envi- 

 ronment, culture, or even by pruning. 



