STOCK AND CION HANDLING 



199 



259. Spring-budding pears. I n Maryland Japanese seedling 

 pear stocks were placed in a hotbed in early April in six inches of 

 sand. The manure and sun heat made the sap start so that in eight 

 days the stocks were ready to bud by the ordinary method. They 

 were taken to a warm room, budded with Mikado pear buds and 

 placed back in the sand to "take." In about eight more days, all 

 having taken nicely, they were transferred to damp sawdust to 

 prevent further growth till they could be set in the nursery a few 

 days later. During summer, under good culture, they grew about 

 two feet, and by fall were large enough to transplant in orchards. 

 The method is practicable on a large scale. 



260 Peach stocks are secured from seeds usually strati- 

 fied the previous winter and sown in spring. Seed con- 

 sidered best comes from seedling- trees in the mountain- 

 ous parts of the Carolinas and adjacent states, Oklahoma 

 and Arkansas. Pits from the canneries are not favored 

 by some nurserymen, but are extensively used by others. 



Pits are sometimes planted in fall _^ 



in nursery rows, but since seedlings 

 may have difficulty in breaking 

 through the soil in spring, this 

 plan is not generally popular. Usual- 

 ly the pits are stratified as soon as 

 received in fall or early winter, the 

 object being to have them freeze 

 and split. On a small scale stratify- 

 ing may be in shallow boxes of sand 

 or soil, but, on a large scale, basin- 

 like pits large enough to hold several 

 bushels are made in soil. Earth is 

 thrown over the seeds and kept FIG. 166 GRAFTED 

 moist or frozen all winter. If planted CHEST Ko ?!ARS NG AT 

 without being stratified only a small 



percentage of seeds will sprout the first season, the bal- 

 ance continuing the following year or two. 



261. Plum stocks. Nurserymen differ widely in their 

 preferences of plum stocks, depending mainly on cost, 

 ease of working, and adaptability of cion to stock. 

 Myrobalan is the leading general purpose stock, though 



