96 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 190. 



SUMMARY. 



1. Stem cuttings of the common apple grow only rarely; in the trials 

 here reported none succeeded, though callus formation in some varieties 

 was good. 



2. Root cuttings gi-ew well, especially when young roots were used, 

 though gi'owth was slow the first season. 



3. Limited tests indicated that most varieties may be readily propa- 

 gated by mound layers. 



4. The best means of estabhshing trees on known roots is by the nurse- 

 root method. The scion is whip-grafted on a short piece of root and 

 planted deeply; at the end of one or two seasons' growth the tree is dug, 

 the seedling root removed and the tree replanted. Neither dwarf apple 

 nor pear roots are of value as nurse roots. 



5. Varieties vary greatly in the readiness with which they send out 

 roots from the scion, the proportion varying from none to practically 

 all with different varieties. 



6. There is also great variation within the variety in the numbers 

 rooting from the scion. 



7. Varietal differences may be loosely correlated with density of the 

 wood, the softer the wood the higher the proportion rooting from the 

 scion. 



8. A fertile, well-drained, sandy loam probably offers the best conditions 

 for securing a high percentage of rooting trees. 



9. Once trees are estabhshed on known roots they may be propagated 

 by root cuttings or by root grafting on known roots. 



10. There seems to be a relation between the varietal abihty to pro- 

 duce roots from the scion and the thickness of the cambium layer at the 

 dormant season. 



