30 



Indeed, any observing orchardist may see the evidence in his own 

 orchard and all nurserymen are still more familiar with the de- 

 tails. 



For instance, we may have the best stocks, and yet the budded or 

 grafted tree on these same roots will vary much as to growth and 

 vigour. The Japanese variety of plums will make an immense 

 growth on either plum or peach root, while the Bradshaw, Yellow 

 Egg, etc., grow feebly in comparison. A vigorous top growth 

 always indicates a correspondingly strong root growth, and any- 

 one at all unfamiliar with these things would be amazed at seeing 

 the root of a Burbank and of a Bradshaw plum tree, though prior 

 to the budding or grafting process, both stocks or roots were 

 exactly the same. 



Without illustrating further, for these are horticultural facts, the 

 question naturally arises, how to best apply this knowledge for 

 practical purposes. There are two ways : One is for the nursery- 

 man to supply trees grown on the best roots, budded from selected 

 trees, and where the variety is known to be of feeble habit, to 

 double work. As an example of " double working," Dr. A. 

 Sharpies, of Goshen, Oregon, believes the Tennant prune to be the 

 best plum stock for that State, particularly as to cold resistance. 

 He has found that the Tennant every where was uninjured during 

 very severe freezes which destroyed many trees of other varieties. 

 Those who have planted Tennant trees in California must have 

 noticed their exceptional vigour and hardiness as compared with 

 other trees, and this variety on peach root from seedling peaches, 

 top-worked with any feeble growing varieties of the plum family 

 would in all probability result in a tree of great vitality and 

 productiveness. 



The second way is for the orchardist to plant his orchard with 

 whatever varieties are the best growers, let them be Tennant 

 prune, Kieffer pear, Spy apple, or anything else and top-graft 

 them himself in a few years, or in blocks, as he wants them. 



'There is an additional advantage in this as the orchardist would 

 have more time to decide as to what varieties were best, and the 



: stocks would be planted and growing, so there would be little 

 loss of time. 



The Robe de Sergent prune in California is not altogether satis- 

 factory, being an uncertain cropper, and it is also complained that 

 the tree is tender. In the writer's orchard were a few trees of 

 Italian prune on peach root ; these were grafted with Robe de 

 Sergent scions, and the result shows trees much larger and 

 : stronger than those on Myrobolan root, and not double worked, 

 and what is even more valuable, they have borne regular crops. 

 This variety will not unite with the peach, but from the above 

 experience it would seem that it needs a peach root, but must 

 have an intermediate plum stock of strong habit. 



