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boiuff liable to winter-killing would entirely escape on a dry, elevated soil, where the 

 rjrowth would be moderate and tlio wood consequently well ripened. But people 

 must take the soil as it is, and adapt their system of cultivation to its particular cbar- 

 acteristics. 



"We suspect that in llio "West root-grafting is too often peiformed by using pieces 

 instead of whole roots, and this accounts for trees — as spoken of in the Dixon Report 

 — requiring the support of stakes for several years in the orchard. It is a fact, that 

 trees propagated in this way do not produce a well proportioned development of roots. 

 It is not uncommon to sec such trees seven or eight feet high with only three or four 

 prongs of roots, a few inches long, that one could hardly suppose capable of supporting 

 such a growth of top ; but trees propagated on whole roots are seldom if ever found 

 in this condition. 



As far as tardiness of bearing and unproductiveness are charged upon root-grafting, 

 a pretty long and extensive experience compels us to regard it as an eiTor ; on the 

 contrary, we have found that root-grafted trees, as a general thing, are, if anything, 

 more fruitful than budded ones. It is quite common to see three or four year old 

 root-grafted trees of certain sorts produce fruit in the nursery rows. "WTiere in the 

 world can more healthy and productive apple orchards be found than in Western 

 New York, where ten years ago such a thing as budding or stock-grafting apple trees 

 was scarcely thought of, and which to this day is practiced only on a very limited 

 scale, for certain weak-growing sorts. 



Mr. novEY says : " We have long been convinced that it was a perfect waste of 

 time and money to plant root-grafted trees, and were satisfied that cultivators would 

 find it out in time. We knew it was useless to ofi'er any advice upon the subject, as it 

 would be considered quite gratuitous. To tell a man that a budded or grafted stock 

 was worth double the price of a root-grafted one, would only create a laugh at our 

 expense. We therefore thought it best to let those who estimate the value of a tree 

 by its cheapness try the experiment fully and realize the truth of the adage, < a fool 

 and his money,' " &c. 



Mr. HovEY has been at length induced to say this, even at the hazard of being 

 laughed at, on account of the objection raised against root-grafting in Illinois. But 

 will Mr. HovEY be kind enough to explain to his readers wherein the superiority 

 of budded or stock-grafted trees lies ? We are all seeking light, and it is not 

 enough to tell us we have been fools to throw away our money on root-grafted trees, 

 but we must be told why. Will he point to the orchards of Western New York, 

 where there are the most ample illustrations of root-grafting to be found in the world, 

 we are very sure ? Will he point to the apple nurseries of Western New York, in 

 which there are at this moment millions of root-grafted apple trees ? He will find no 

 proofs to suit him here. The apple nurseries and orchards of New York, root-grafted 

 as they nearly all are, are generally regarded as equal, if not superior, to any others 

 in this country. We think Mr. Hovey has himself spoken very favorably of the 

 orchards of New York. At any rate we should be glad to know where there 

 better orchards, owing their superiority to budding or stock-grafting. 



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