ROOT-KILLING OF APPLE TREES. 461 



thickly branchedtop, I give to the Siberian crab seedling, above all, 

 the preference, and for two reasons: (l)Varieties grafted or budded 

 on the Siberian crab bear much more and earlier fruit and (2) suffer 

 much less from frosts. In a severe winter in the Borokow district, 

 in the Kaluga province, all varieties of the apple were killed with 

 the exception of a few which had been grafted on JPyrus prunifolia 

 macrocarpa. Only these few escaped without injury. Since that 

 time this species has been known only as the "unconquerable" in 

 the Borokow district and in Wereja. 



"Hence it is not at all necessary to search for other wildings for 

 stocks, since there are present for ub in Pjrus prunifolia macro- 

 carpa characteristics of such immense value. Some say that vari- 

 eties grafted on the Siberian crab are not long lived, but this asser- 

 tion is wholly without foundation, since a tree of Pyrus baccata 

 geauina planted by me in Moscow, in 1859, is still growing and 

 bearing fruit, and at M. F. Essen's is found one that has already 

 reached its fiftieth year. Next after the Siberian crab, in hardiness 

 and longevity, comes the forest apple, wilding, and after that comes 

 the seedlings of garden varieties. 



"The fruit of the Siberian crab is used for sauce, preserves, etc., 

 and the seeds for the raising of new, improved seedlings. After the 

 ripe fruit has been gathered, the cores must be removed. This is 

 done quite easily. Take a narrow thin strip of tin, sharpen one 

 edge and wrap it around a round, slender lead pencil. The instru- 

 ment is ready, and by pressing this small tube through the middle 

 of the fruit, the whole core is removed and the flesh is left to be 

 used for sauce, preserves, etc. A very good seedling for stocks is 

 also Pyrus tnalus, which is found distributed far to the north. The 

 seedlings of garden varieties are far inferior to the above named 

 varieties. From six poods (equals 216 lbs. avoirdupois) of garden 

 varieties, one obtains only one pound of good large seeds, while 

 from the same quantity oi Pyrus baccata cerasifortnis one obtains 

 ten times; irom. Pyrus prunifolia macrocarpa, six to eight times, 

 and from Pj^rus baccata genuina one hundred times as many 

 seeds, only that they are very small." 



EARLY EXPERIMENTS IN WISCONSIN, IOWA AND MINNESOTA. 



Experience in many orchards in the northwest shows that the 

 cultivated apple makes a poor union, as a rule, in top-grafting upon 

 the Siberian crab. In most cases the top overgrows the stock. 

 Some strong-growing varieties have kept pace with the apple top in 

 growth, and are regarded as valuable for stocks. Earlier bearing 

 and shorter life seems to be the effect upon many varieties when 

 top-grafted upon Siberian crabs. A full investigation of these 

 numerous experiments should be made. It would necessitate con- 

 siderable traveling. 



Piece-root grafting on Siberian crab seedling roots has been tried 

 quite extensively, and the general experience is unfavorable. The 

 early volumes of the annual reports of the Wisconsin, Iowa and 

 Minnesota state horticultural societies contain a number of reports 



