AI'IM.K (JUoWINt; IX CALIFORNIA. 31 



CHAPTER III. 



PROPAGATION OF THE APPLE. 



The work of propagating apple trees is usually left to the nursery- 

 nwn. although there is no good reason why the person who is contem- 

 plating tin' setting out of an orchard should not propagate his own trees. 

 In the past there has been frequent and serious difficulty experienced 

 by the purchaser of nursery trees because of not receiving varieties 

 ordered. The nurserymen of today, as a whole, exercise the greatest 

 an- toward sending out trees true to name, so the one-time serious 

 objection to buying trees from them has been largely removed. It is 

 true, however, that many nurserymen are not careful enough in the 

 selection of the stock used for budding or grafting purposes, and as a 

 consequence trees may not be inherently strong. The future will no 

 doubt demand that more care be exercised to secure buds or grafts from 

 trees that have a record of good crop production to transmit, or at 

 least which they will surely have a tendency to transmit to trees 

 developed from them. 



SEEDLINGS. 



It is known by practically every one that the apple, when grown from 

 seed, does not come true to the variety. That is, if a thousand trees were 

 grown from seeds taken from a single Jonathan apple tree there w r ould 

 probably be none of them that would possess many of the character- 

 istii-s of the true Jonathan. This fact necessitates the propagation of 

 the apple by budding or grafting of fixed varieties into seedlings grown 

 for the purpose. The first step, then, in developing trees for an orchard 

 is the growing of seedlings. 



AVickson recommends the following method of starting apple and pear 

 trees from seed: 



For a small lot of apple and pear trees the seed can be best sown in boxes. 

 Select plump pips and keep in moist snnd from the time they are taken from the 

 fruit until sowing. Fill the boxes, which should be three or four inches deep, with 

 -ood garden mold, cover tin- s.-.-d about half an inch, and then cover the soil lightly 

 with chaff or tine straw to pivvent. the surface from drying out. Be sure that the 

 boxes have crocks or holes in the bottom for drainage, and the whole is kept moist, 

 but not wet. When the seedlings have grown to the height of three inches they 

 can he set out in the nursery rows, as one would set out cabbage plants. 



After these seedling trees have attained sufficient growth they may be 

 budded to whatever varieties are desired. 



Seeds for use in growing trees should be selected from good stock, if 

 possible. Small, shrunken seed from poor apples is no more desirable 

 than poor stoek for budding purposes, as the thrift mess of the seedling 

 tree will very largely determine the development and growth of the bud 

 or graft that is inserted into it. Seeds are usually obtained from the 

 pomace of cider mills. As such seeds from our American mills ordi- 

 narily possess nothing of uniformity in their makeup, a good stand of 

 thrifty seedlings can scarcely be expected when grown from them. The 

 !>est seedling are those grown from the wild crabs of France, and most 



