1871 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



97 



layer of flattened cells with little holes or "stomates" 

 («, e,) opening into the air chambers upon the inte- 

 rior of the leaf, (/, /.) Such a leaf as this continues 

 in health just so long as plentiful moisturcis pumped 

 up from the roots to supply the wants of the plant, 

 and also to sustain the rapid and unrestrained evap- 

 oration from the under side of the leaf The very 

 day a full supply of moisture fails — the evaporating 

 surface of the leaf being too delicate for the dry air 

 — the plant begins to wither, and, — if a change does 

 not soon come, — dies. Upon our high dry prairies 

 we find the cell structure of leaf and wood of our 

 native plants upon an entirely diflerent principle. 

 The cell structure upon the upper surface is still 

 more compact than as shown in the cut, and often 

 the plants of verj' dry situations have three or more 

 very distinct rows of cells above the air spaces of 

 the leaf The under or brdhthing surface of the 

 leaves are quite similar to the v]i]kr surface of the 

 marsh plant as given in the illustration. In time of 

 drought, the outside layer of cells are so arranged 

 as to contract together like valves over the stomates 

 or breathing pores of the leaf, closing them wholly 

 or in part, as the moisture of the earth and air may 

 change. Plants of still more arid climates, as the 

 Oleander of Barbary, are still better provided with 

 ingenious devices for restraining evaporation in 

 time of need, and yet drawing their requisite carl)on 

 from the air. We can only add further, in this con- 

 nection, the fact that the external bark or epidermis 

 of the whole plant will be found in its evaporating 

 and absorbing arrangements to correspond with the 

 leaf structure. 



A little careful study of these matters enables us 

 to understand why the Russian apples are more uni- 

 formly healthy than the common apple in our 

 climate. Let us consider for a moment the struc- 

 ture and halits of graifOi of the Tetofuki, and then 

 compare it with the hardiest of our common apples. 

 I have before me aa I write a branch of the Tetofski, 

 and it is a study of itself In its bud, grain of wood, 

 and habits of growth it more resembles our native 

 thorns than the common apple. If we examine the 

 grain of the wood and the structure under the base 

 of the buds under the microscope, we find in the 

 winter scarce a trace of watery sap. Every coll is 

 perfectly developed into solid woody tissue; and more 

 than this— every cell of the new wood is freighted 

 with minute grains of starch In such quantity as to 

 bo plainly felt u;.der the knife in whittling the 

 twigs. This heavy deposit of starch in the cells, is 

 one of the hist marks of an "iron clad" tree that we 

 ' can have. Abundant starch deposit in the wood is 

 nearly analogous to fatty deposit in animals. Both 

 give the capacity to sustain polar cold, and both in 

 time of need can be re-appropriated in the life econo- 

 my. As the spring advances, we notica the Tetofski 

 and most Russian apples make not only a very 



rapid, but very ^nature early growth. The previous 

 season's deposit of starch, by the ascending sap is 

 converted into sugar, and becomes an efflcient aux- 

 iliary in rapid and early extension of growth. As 

 the season advances wo find why the Russian ap- 

 ples attain such a maturity of wood and such a 

 deposit in tho coll structure to aid in the next 

 year's growth. Tho first growth is literally its only 

 growth. Even in nursery under cultivation, tho 

 Tetofski appears about as "deflnite" as a Hickory in 

 its habits of growth. After its growth during June 

 and July, it forms its terminal bud, and then'devotes 

 its energies to tho completion of the work already 

 laid out. And now we must look at its leaf Com- 

 pare it with the leaves of the Grimes' Golden, or 

 Jonathan ; what a marked difference ! So compact 

 are its cells above and below, and so perfect the ar- 

 rangements for restraining a too copious evapora- 

 tion, that extremes of wet or dry, hotor cold weather 

 only hasten or retard the work to be done. 



To those who have not given tho matter of tree 

 growth attention, we may here say that woody tis- 

 sue is composed almost entirely of carbon. This is 

 seen in burning it into charcoal, which is nearly 

 pure carbon. All this carbon must be taken from 

 the atmosphere by the leaves. It has been thought 

 that a portion of the carbon of plants was taken 

 from the soil by tho roots. Recent researches, how- 

 ever, seem to prove that the whole work of assimi- 

 lating this vital element of plant growth is perform 

 ed by the leaves. How essential then a leaf, that 

 through all extremes of weather will maintain a 

 perfectly healthy condition until all its work is done. 

 With the Tetofski, when the leaf work is done — 

 every wood cell perfect, and stored with the elements 

 to aid in a rapid early growth for the next year, the 

 leaf ripens and drops from the tree as naturally a.s a 

 thorn leaf 



(Oondvded in May number.) 



JaOXV Headed Trees— TIio TO^agoner Apple. 



Bt D. B. Weib, Laoon, III. 



Ed. PoMOliOGiST : If I were asked what apple tree 

 I could make the most money out of, by fruit alone, 

 I would unhesitatingly say tho Wagoner. Yet per- 

 haps this variety has given about as unsatisfactory 

 results, to orchardists generally, as any variety that 

 has been planted in the West. It has only been 

 within the last two or three years that I have come 

 to understand tho requirements of the tree, and how 

 it should be grown. All apple trees require in the 

 West shorter trunks than we have been in tlie habit 

 of giving them, to attain a perfect development. If 

 there is any applo tree that requires a very short 

 trunk, that one is the Wagoner. An experienci; of 

 twelve years with trees with trunks rangingin length 

 from six inches to fmir and a lialf feet, has proven 

 to me conclusively that this tree should never have 



