140 



THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



bears about three buds, and the root is about 

 the same length, or perhaps shorter. The vari- 

 able and unknown character of these roots, as 

 regards hardiness, renders it important that, in 

 very severe climates, roots should be obtained 

 from the same plant as the cion, the hardi- 

 ness of which is known. It is the practice, 

 therefore, in the prairie states to use a very 

 long cion 8 inches to a foot and to set it 

 in the ground up to the top bud. The piece 

 of root serves as a temporary support, and 

 roots are formed from the cion. When the 

 tree is ready for sale the old piece of root is 

 often removed, or sometimes it falls away of 

 itself. In this way own-rooted trees are ob- 

 tained. Even cions of ordinary length often 

 emit roots, as seen in Fig. 158, but such cions 

 are not long enough to reach into uniformly 

 moist soil. Some varieties of fruit-trees are 

 found to make roots from the cion more readily 

 than others. Root-grafting is often cheaper 

 FIG 156 Graft than budding, as it is performed when labor is 

 on a long piece of available, and two or more trees may be made 



fr m Olie Stock " 



Cuttings rather than seedlings may be used 

 as stocks when a variety that grows readily from cuttings 

 unites quickly with a variety that does not grow from 



root! 



FIG. 157. Grafting-knife with stationary blade (x ). 



cuttings. Fig. 159 is such a case; the stock, or cutting, 

 is the true Downing mulberry, which strikes readily. The 



