METHODS OF GRAFTING 233 



scarce nurserymen sometimes lengthen the cion and 

 shorten the roots even to \ l / 2 inches. One of the so- 

 called advantages thus gained is that the cions develop 

 roots after the grafts have been planted. The chief ef- 

 fect, then, of the root piece is to act as a nurse until the 

 cion is able through its own roots to care for itself. 



Short pieces have been specially popular in the prairie 

 states where, because of severe winters, roots as well as 

 tops must be hardy. The practice there has been com- 

 mon to make cions 8 to 12 inches long, to use a very 

 short root piece and to plant as deep as the top bud. By 



FIG. 190 STUDENTS PLANTING ROOT GRAFTS 

 Ten thousand to thirty thousand made annually at Pennsylvania State College. 



the time the tree is dug the nurse root will have fallen 

 off or may be cut away. Thus trees are secured on their 

 own roots and are considered superior to those in which 

 the seedling roots are of unknown hardiness. Some 

 varieties of apples readily take root from cuttings, but 

 root grafting is favored, because there is less trouble 

 from having to operate several methods often at busy 

 times of the year. 



305. Making root grafts. The whip or tongue method 



