THE ROOT SYSTEMS OF FRUIT PLANTS 589 



PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS 



Under this head are considered the various forms of cuttings, layers, 

 stools and the like which depend on the formation of roots from the wood 

 of the variety to he cultivated, without the intervention of grafting or bud- 

 ing. All plants thus propagated are on their own roots. The list of fruit 

 plants so propagated commonly, includes the fig, olive, grape, currant, 

 gooseberry, mulberry, filbert and pomegranate from hardwood cuttings; 

 the various dwarfing apple stocks and quince from mound layers or stools; 

 the strawberry by rooted "runners;" the black raspberry, loganberry and 

 dewberry by rooted tips of canes, the red raspberry and blackberry by 

 suckers; the cranberry and blueberry by hard or soft wood cuttings or 

 by "tubering" or "stumping" as the case may be. If pomological 

 literature be searched at all carefully there appear some rather sur- 

 prising additions to the list of plants that can be propagated by cuttings, 

 particularly by hardwood cuttings, including frequently the citrus fruits, 

 plums, pears and apples. 



"Some of the plums grow well from cuttings. This is especially true of 

 Marianna, and millions of Marianna cuttings are made every year in this coun- 

 try, mostly for stocks. . . . The St. Julien plum grows fairly well from cut- 

 tings, and nearly all the Myrobolan varieties may be propagated this way. Some 

 of the Japanese varieties, especially Satsuma, have been grown from cuttings 

 in the southern states. Practically, however, propagation by cuttings is con- 

 fined to the Marianna. "^^"^ 



That the apple may be propagated by cuttings is indicated by quota- 

 tions from Knight, though possibly he is describing what is now known to 

 be a rather common pathological condition in the apple. 



"There are several varieties of apple tree, the trunks and branches of which 

 are almost covered with rough excrescences, formed by congeries of points which 

 would have become roots under favorable circumstances; and such varieties are 

 always very readily propagated by cuttings."*^ The Paradise and Doucin 

 stocks root more or less readily from cuttings. 



Darwin^^ cites Tennent as saying, "in the Botanic Gardens of Ceylon the 

 apple tree sends out numerous underground runners which continually rise into 

 small stems, and form a growth around the parent tree." 



Ribston Pippin is said in England to grow readily from cuttings. 



Again quoting Knight: "Peach and Nectarine trees, particularly 

 of those varieties which have been recently obtained from seed, may be 

 propagated readily by layers, either of the summer or older wood; and 

 even from cuttings, without artificial heat; for such strike root freely. "^^ 



Advantages and Disadvantages. — Propagation by cuttings may or 

 may not be advantageous; there is nothing in the process itself that makes 

 it one or the other. When it is readily accomplished it is obviously the 

 cheapest process, but the plant may do better on some other roots than its 



