104 AGRICULTURE. 



SEEDLINGS. If we plant some apple seeds, plants will 

 spring up that, after a few years, will become trees and bear 

 fruit. These trees are known as " seediings." But, what at 

 first appears strange, they are not likely to bear apples similar 

 to the apple from which we took the seeds ; in fact, the apples 

 may be of little use. And why so ? Because the apple, in its 

 wild or native form, has a small, rather poor fruit, and the 

 many varieties have been produced by careful cultivation and 

 selection. In this way varieties are obtained that are different 

 in their hardiness and different in shape, size, color, and flavor. 

 As is the case with other plants, while we develop them for 

 producing fine fruit they frequently become more tender in 

 stem and roots, and, therefore, the nurseryman has to use great 

 skill in producing plants that are both hardy and productive of 

 good fruit. If we grow apples from seeds only, the hardy 

 seedlings will grow to a producing age. In this way we can 

 obtain trees with hardy roots, stems, and buds. If, now, we 

 can use these roots and stems for our trees, and at the same 

 time cause them to produce highly-flavored fruit, we shall get 

 trees such as we desire. This may be done by grafting. 



GRAFTING. The hardy stem and root is called the stock. 

 The part to be grafted on to the stock is called a scion. The 

 nurseryman selects the young seedlings and cuts small 

 branches as scions from the trees of improved varieties such 

 as he wishes to produce. The scions are cut in the late fall 

 after the leaves have fallen, or in early spring before the buds 

 start to open. At that time the branch is dormant or asleep. 

 The grafting is done, as root-grafting or as top-grafting, before 

 the growth starts in the spring. In root-grafting, the stock and 

 scion may be cut across as shown in Fig. 52. This is called 

 whip or tongue-grafting, and is the method of cutting when 

 both are of same size. When the stock is large and the scion 

 small, the latter is cut wedge-shaped, and the former is split so 

 as to take in the little wedge end, as in Fig. 53. The scion is 



