kind. It is well known that the fir, spruce 
or pine will make a vigorous growth where 
some other vegetation would entirely fail. 
The roots of some trees can and do adapt 
themselves to their location, and thrive 
where a grape vine, pear, or even grass will 
not grow. The brown and black ash, the 
cedar, tamarac and black alder will thrive 
where the soil is full of stagnant water, and 
maple, 
beech, white and red birch, and pine delight 
is often overflowed. The sugar 
in a dryer soil. 
2d. Does this process make 1 longer lived 
tree? 
There are many evidences that the crab 
apple root, being more fibrous, occupies the 
ground more completely, and is more likely 
than any other to give an even, continuous 
and vigorous growth to the tree. 
Mr. Charles Walling, of Montpelier, says 
“About twenty years ago, while grafting 
some seedling trees for my own use, I graft- 
ed one crab apple seedling, and while al] 
the trees upon the common stock are now 
dead, the one on the crab apple stock has 
been and is now a vigorous and productive 
tree. 
During the last fifleen years I have graft- 
ed many crab apple seedlings for myself and 
others, and my success has been such that I 
can confidently recommend it to others. I 
could not be induced to use any other.” This 
testimony was given in October, 1871. 
The: experience of Mr. Walling coincides 
exactly with the result reached by Mr. Bry- 
that 
the crab stock must be depended upon for reli- 
ant in nineteen years experimenting; 
able orchards in this climate. 
These facts go far toward proving that the 
tree thus grown is long lived. The fact can- 
not be disputed that the old trees from which 
cider apples are gathered and that furnished 
seed for common stock, are diseased trees, 
and the great majority of the common sced- 
lings very early become diseased and black 
hearted, and therefore short lived, and if 
this diseased stock is used for grafting, the 
grafted tree does in most cases become black 
Neither can it be 
disproved that the crab apples from which 
Mr. Bryant gets his seed are in nearly every 
instance from healthy, thrifty trees, and that 
the crab apple trees are clear, white, healthy’ 
hearted and worthless. 
wood, and as the scions are of the last year’s 
growth, they are the most healthy part 
of the tree. The result is that the young 
trees of the standard varieties are sound and 
healthy, and are likely to be long lived and 
productive. Pa 
3d. Does it dwarf the tree to engraft the 
English or standard apple upon the crab 
stock? 
My impressions are that the crab apple 
tree grows as rapidly as the common apple 
tree, therefore, the root that will support the 
one in so uniformly thrifty growth, will sup- 
port the other. Then the junction between 
stock and scion will be harmonious and sym- 
metrical, presenting less contrast in size than 
is often seen in old orchards where the en- 
grafting has been done in the heads of trees. 
If the arguments are sound that prove the 
hardiness of this stock, they would have a 
tendency to prove that a root that occupies 
the ground so well, and supports a tree until 
old age in a thrifty, productive condition, 
cannot dwarf the tree at the same time. 
And further it would be reasonable to believe 
that the root that can support so productive 
a tree asthe crab apple, loaded year after 
year, and often breaking down with its bur- 
den of fruit, can and does give more than 
the usual or natural growth to the common 
apple that seldom or never is so productive. 
4th. Is the quality of a nice apple render- 
ed inferior by being grown on this stock to 
what it would be if grown on commonapple 
stock? ‘ 
It is often said by men dealing in trees 
that the crab root injures the quality of the 
good fruit grown upon it, but I have im- 
agined that this statement was made because 
it is more difficult and costly to get crab seed 
to sow. But when they discard the crab 
seed they use the comon cider apples—the 
most defective and meanest of the apple 
crop. If these trees were permitted to bear 
natural fruit, most of it would be small and 
of poor quality, asis proved by the many 
natural orchards in the country; therefore if 
the crab stock is very objectionable, the com- 
mon stock must be undesirable, and the 
whimsical or conscientious nurseryman must 
get seeds from large mild or sweet apples to 
ensure the best quality of fruit. 
