70 SEEDLING PROPAGATION OF VARIETIES. 



this IS performed, no healing lymph exudes, and of 

 course, no rootlets are produced ; besides, the rugged 

 wound does not encourage their formation. A raw, 

 unhealed end always remains ; and of some thousands 

 of pear trees upon quince roots, which I have removed, 

 I have never seen fibres put forth, where such a wound 

 has been made. Tlie rough corrugated ends will show 

 the marks of the rupture made by their violent 

 removal from the parent stock. 



The injured roots of stocks should he smoothly cut^ 

 and the jagged portions cleanly pruned away^ leaving 

 a surface^ from which fresh rootlets will readily spring. 



In the violent removal of the stock, the bark is 

 stripped from nearly all of the fibrous roots ; and if 

 they are not removed, a large mass of decaying 

 organism must be thrown off, before a healthy vitality 

 can commence. 



When the fibres are thick and matted, they should 

 be cut back to an inch in length, or they will be 

 pressed together in the soil, and decay. Two rootlets 

 or fibres never come in contact when growing, and 

 this condition should be accurately imitated in 

 planting. 



Pear seedlings, which have not been root-pruned in 

 the seed-bed, have long tap-roots, which should be 

 shortened to six or eight inches. It has been recom- 

 mended to lay out the tap-root in a horizontal direc- 

 tion ; but the distorted position obstructs the free flow 

 of sap ; and the root receiving nutriment from only 

 one direction, the tree will be distorted by growing 

 mostly on the same side. 



The tops of stalks are frequently allowed to remain ; 



