THE DWARF APPLE-TREE 55 



but of stock. Any variety may be grown as a dwarf by 

 grafting it on a plant that naturally remains small, al- 

 though some varieties are more adaptable than others to 

 the purpose. 



If seeds of the natural diminutive apple-tree are sown, 

 a variety of trees and apples may be expected. The fruits 

 would probably be inferior. Probably the stature would 

 vary between different seedlings. If we are to get the ef- 

 fect of dwarfness, we must be sure that the stock is it- 

 self really, dwarf. Therefore, to eliminate variation and 

 also because seeds of natural dwarf apples may not be 

 had in sufficient quantity, the stocks are propagated by 

 layers rather than by seeds. 



The diminutive tree, when well established, is cut 

 off near the ground. Sprouts arise. Some kinds sucker 

 very freely. If earth is mounded up around the sprouts, 

 roots form on them and the sprouts may be removed and 

 treated as if they were seedling stocks. Usually the 

 mounding is not performed until the shoots have made 

 one season's growth. Gooseberries and some other plants 

 are often propagated by mound-layers. In the case of the 

 gooseberry, however, it is desired that the layer repro- 

 duce the parent — it may be Downing or Whitesmith — 

 and therefore it is planted without further manipulation. 

 But in the case of the apple, we do not want the layer 

 to reproduce the parent, for the parent would probably 

 bear an inferior fruit since it does not represent an "im- 

 proved" or recognized variety; therefore the layer is 

 grafted or budded with the particular variety we desire 

 to grow, as a dwarf tree. 



Dwarf trees are grown in America, if at all, only in 

 gardens, where extra attention may be given them. Only 



