124 PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS 



that caliper from one-quarter to one-half inch in diam- 

 eter. These should be cut from eight to ten inches long 

 and put through the same treatment in the callusing bed 

 as the simple cutting. They may be taken either in the 

 fall or spring and will often work successfully where cut 

 in the summer. After the calluses are formed they are 

 transferred to the nursery row, placing them from six to 

 eight inches apart. Often sprouts may be produced from 

 roots by the simple method of severing the smaller roots 

 from the parent plant without disturbing their feeding 

 tips. Buds will form near the end from which shoots will 

 grow. When these are one year old they are dug up and 

 treated as new plants. 



Nurse Root Cuttings. This is a somewhat new de- 

 parture in tree fruit propagation. It is being worked in a 

 practical way in a number of nurseries and has given 

 highly satisfactory results. The cutting is made very 

 similar to the simple one except that it is not so long, eight 

 to ten inches being sufficient. On the bottom end is placed 

 a small piece of root known as a nurse root. This is grafted 

 on as illustrated in Fig. 53 or a simple whip graft may be 

 used. This root gives the cutting a quicker connection 

 with the soil, then later as growth develops new roots form 

 from the cutting proper, which eventually become the chief 

 support of the tree. 



This method was the outgrowth of a series of studies 

 of the influence of stock on the cion. It was found that 

 many desirable varieties of fruit were lacking in vigor due 

 partially to the poor union with the stock and partially 

 to the inherent weakness of the variety itself. Such are 



