592 FUNDAMENTALS OF FRUIT PRODUCTION 



and grafts of one variety inserted on the roots the resulting trees would 

 show considerable differences in vigor and productiveness. Mention 

 is made elsewhere of results in Missouri showing considerable variation 

 in seedling apples. 



Hatton'"' states, in the course of a comparison of Paradise, free and crab 

 stocks: "We are faced, then, with two converging series quite arbitrarily divided, 

 the one ranging from dwarfness to vigour and the other from vigour to dwarf- 

 ness; the only real distinction being that the Paradise series has been raised 

 vegetatively, and any particular meml^er of the series can be reproduced by that 

 method again and again, whilst the free series has been raised from seed, and as 

 long as this method is employed infinite variety and inequahty will continue, 

 except in rare cases. 



"It is often argued that 'true crabs' are less variable than 'ordinary free 

 stocks' but I cannot learn what the trade distinction stands for. If free stocks 

 are the chance children of cider fruits, crabs (commercial not botanical) are the 

 chance progeny of wildings; but every district has many, many so-called crabs 

 varying in vigour and character. I have seen them strong and clean; dwarfing 

 and root knotted, whilst the types of fruit are various. I do not pretend to 

 assert that free stocks from particular sources may not be more even than from 

 other sources. That simply depends on the chance crosses, on the varieties 

 mixed or cross pollinated, which in some cases may be more advantageous than 

 in others; but I do say that stocks raised from pips will always be variable, and 

 therefore incompletelj^ satisfactory, except for the purpose of raising new types 

 of stock for subsequent vegetative propagation, if we find degeneration or im- 

 perfection in the existing types." 



Examination of an orchard, injured here and there by root killing, 

 forces belief in the variation shown by the seedling roots and an apprecia- 

 tion of the desirability of a stock that is uniformly hardy. If a vigorous, 

 hardy, resistant stock could be isolated and propagated, much of the 

 unevenness in yield and uncertainty in hardiness would be eliminated. 



Furthermore, the importance to the experimenter of having each tree 

 on its own roots should be emphasized. The lack of uniformity in 

 yields of trees in the same plot in fertilizer, cultural or pruning experi- 

 ments has done much to invalidate results and more definite conclusions 

 might well be expected if the root systems as well as the tops of the trees 

 were identical. 



Vegetative propagation of apple stocks seems not only of probable 

 value but worthy of study as a real possibility. Hatton^*^ in a paper 

 of great importance reports that in the investigations of Paradise apple 

 stock at East Mailing one type was isolated which is free growing, not 

 in the least dwarfing in its effects; this stock is propagated readily by 

 vegetative methods. Further study of this type and search for others 

 like it seem of great importance. The great amount of variation found 

 by Hatton gives promise of isolating stocks which will show particular 



