THE PROPAGATION OF APPLE TREES. 75 



PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS. 



There are few published records of attempts to propagate apple trees 

 by cuttings. Doubtless many have been made and not reported, for the 

 uniform results on record may be described in the single word — failure. 



Luke ^ attempted to root apple cuttings of various sizes and lengths 

 at cutting-bed temperatures of 64° and 67°. All failed to strike root. 

 Luke was able to induce root cuttings to grow with fairly good success. 



Attempts to root apple cuttings were made during the summer of 1912. 

 Green wood cuttings 3 to 4 inches long were made in early August and 

 September, and set in sand in the greenhouse. Powdered charcoal was 

 also used as a propagating medium, both alone and as a one-half inch 

 layer over sand, with the hope that it might check disease. Bottom heat 

 in varying degi'ees was used in some cases, also an enclosed propagating 

 frame. In short, an effort was made to provide the best possible condi- 

 tions for cuttings. Something over a thousand cuttings of several differ- 

 ent varieties were made. The results were much the same in all cases. 

 The cuttings formed a callus, varying somewhat with the variety, and 

 the buds started out until the leaves were about one-fourth inch long. 

 This occupied about two weeks, after which growth ceased. The final 

 result was the same in practically all cases. Of the 1,000 or more cuttings 

 only a single one of the Fall Pippin variety rooted, and that only a single 

 short shoot that was broken off in removing from the sand, so that it 

 failed to grow. Fig. 1 is a typical representation of the range of devel- 

 opment of callus and leaf. Arranged in order of callus development the 

 varieties are Yellow Transparent, Fall Pippin, Red Astrachan, Bough 

 (Sweet), Ben Davis, Wagener. As will be shown later, these varieties 

 may be induced to root from the scion, when grown by the nurse-root 

 method, more or less readily, according to the variety. There is, however, 

 little or no correlation between callus growth and root formation, as may 

 be seen by comparison with the numbers rooting shown in Table 2. 



One lot of cuttings was watered with a nutrient solution, using a formula 

 in common use for growing seedhngs. The only effect was a noticeable 

 growth of green algae over the surface of the sand. The cutting growth 

 was hindered rather than helped. 



In spite of these failures it is the opinion of the writer that it is possible 

 to grow apple trees from cuttings. To an inquiry addressed to many of 

 the leading nurserymen of the country, thirty-five replied that they had 

 never seen cuttings or prunings from the trees taking root, while seven- 

 teen professed to have observed such an occurrence, though none of them 

 considered it at all common. One nurseryman reported having planted 

 well-callused scions in a mixture of sand and soil, and that "the best 

 stand we ever had was something less than 10 per cent of the cuttings 

 planted." The trees were weak for a year or two. The late T. V. Munson 



1 Luke, F. K.: Proc. Columbus Hort. Soc., XIII: 95 (1898). 



