STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 49 



is abundantly substantiated in our nursery practice where we Lave 

 dug hundreds of large trees, both grafted and seedling, and have 

 observed uniformly a larger and better developed root on the seed- 

 ling. In explanation of this phenomenon it should be remembered 

 that the growth of the roots of a tree depends upon the character 

 of the top. Some varieties in the nursery, all the conditions of 

 growth, age, fertility, soil, culture, etc., being the same, are always 

 found to have heavier roots than others, and it is observed that this 

 peculiarity is due entirely to the peculiarities in the growth of the 

 tops of those sorts. If the whole top of a tree be removed the 

 roots cease growing entirely. Now, there is a dist nctive feature 

 of the seedling tree when young, which we find in the case of the 

 apple, plum and pear, viz : The production of thorns and spurs in 

 profusion. This feature belongs exclusively to the young seedling, 

 and its use is to stimulate the production of roots in the youno- 

 tree. But with the increased age and size of the tree this feature 

 disappears, for it belongs to a particular period of the tree's life, 

 and when that period is past, the phenomenon cannot be Droduced 

 again. 



A most convincing illustration of the superior hardiness and 

 vigor of the young seedling is seen in nursery rows where the very 

 hardiest grafted varieties are grown side by side with seedlings. It 

 wiil be found that the seedling suffers the least damage from all 

 those extremes of change so destructive to young trees. Now out 

 of 100 of those seedlings when arrived at maturity not 12 will be 

 found to be any more than ordinarily hardy trees. If, now, scions 

 from the hardiest of those seedlings when they have become mature 

 be used to propagate young trees of their sort, it will be found that 

 the peculiar features of the originals i. e. of the young seedlings, 

 have departed, viz. : The super-abundance of spurs, thorns and 

 the corrt sponding development of roots. The reason is apparent. 

 We have transferred the assimilative organs of maturity to take 

 the place of those of youth. 



Hence nature has bestowed such gifts on the young seedling tree 

 that at eight or ten years of age we have the most perfect tree as 

 regards its makeup for durability that can be produced. 



The next important step is the grafting. By grafting on the 

 trunk or splice-grafiing on the limbs when small we are depriving 

 ourselves of those gifts that nature has bestowed on the seedling 



