THE ROOT SYSTEMS OF FRUIT PLANTS 



605 



will go far to convince anyone that uniformity of behavior as regards vigor and 

 productiveness of tree and size and color of fruit cannot be perpetuated." 



In 1895 the Missouri Station propagated from the highest and from the 

 lowest yielding trees in an orchard of over 200 Ben Davis then in full 

 bearing. The resulting trees were planted alternately in orchard rows 

 and individual yield records were kept from 1912 to 1918 inclusive. These 

 are summarized in Table 9, which shows no difference in favor of trees 

 propagated from the best tree. Though there was a difference in size and 

 •finish of the fruit in the original trees there was none in the fruit borne by 

 their offspring. Investigations in Vermont, reported by Cummings,^^ 

 show no consistent superiority in cions from superior trees of several 

 varieties of apple. 



Table 9. — Avekage Yields of Apple Trees Propagated from High-yielding 



AND from Low-yielding Parents 



(After Gardner^^) 



The statement has often been made that cion wood taken from 

 certain parts of the tree gives rise to trees that are better than those pro- 

 pagated from less carefully selected wood. CrandalP^ has given this 

 matter thorough investigation in the apple and reports the following 

 conclusions: 



"Summarized data giving comparisons between trees propagated from large 

 buds and those propagated from small buds, together with the aggregate of 

 impressions derived from careful inspections of trees of all groups, admit but one 

 conclusion, namely, that there are no differences, for purposes of propagation, 

 between buds of large size and those of small size. 



"Growth curves of trees propagated from buds of different situations on the 

 trees so closely approximate as to leave no basis for assuming that it makes 

 any difference from what situation on the tree the buds are taken. 



"All buds from healthy shoots are of equal value for purposes of propagation, 

 at least so far as growth of tree is concerned. 



