106 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



and fresh growths forced. Cutting off the suckers, therefore, affords but temporary 

 relief, and is followed by an increase in the number of robbers. Suckers should always 

 be detached with the whole of the enlargement of the root or stem from which they 

 proceed, smoothing the edges with a knife. This will assist the wound to heal, as well 

 as prevent growths pushing from adventitious buds, which usually form at the heel of 

 suckers on the stem or roots. 



The practice of cutting down trees level with the ground, or nearly so, with the 

 object of getting as many shoots as possible as in the apple, pear, plum and quince used 

 as stocks and earthing up the shoots to facilitate rooting, secure a plant very different 

 to a sucker issuing from a root in the earth. With care in removing the buds before 

 earthing the shoots, there is no danger of subsequent suckers ; indeed, so effectual is the 

 extraction of the eyes inmost cases that paradise or quince stocks rarely push shoots 

 from the root stem after budding or grafting. One year's shoots earthed up with good 

 soil to the extent of 4 to 6 inches emit roots in summer almost as freely as willows ; 

 those so treated in autumn are sufficiently rooted for removing in a year, form ing suitable 

 stocks for budding or grafting in due season. With root suckers the case is different, 

 for the buds formed on them under ground push up fresh growths in turn, and stocks so 

 raised are not recommended for grafting. 



Runners. The strawberry is a true runner plant, pushing a prostrate filiform stem 

 along the surface of the ground, taking its support from the parent, and forming a 

 bud on the upper side of the stem and small tubercles on the under side at the same 

 point. These last are rudiments of roots which strike into the soil if moist, assisting in 

 nourishing the plant above them, which until then is supported by the parent. The 

 growing point still elongates, forming another plant at the next joint or bud on the wire, 

 and in that manner proceeds according to the vigour of the parent. To facilitate rooting, 

 the joint or young plantlet is pegged or by other means kept in contact with moist soil. 

 If the production of runners is the chief object, as in new and scarce varieties, the 

 parent plants should have the flower trusses taken off as they show. This causes the 

 aliment that would otherwise be expended on fruit to be used in the manufacture of 

 young plants. When strong early plants are required, restricting the runners on a plant 

 to one-third or less of the number that would be produced, and to one plant on a runner, 

 necessarily insures the whole flow of sap to those retained, whereby they attain greater 

 vigour and more abundant roots in much less time, therefore sooner admitting of detach- 

 ment from the parent. 



