130 
they are not adapted to being used as 
stock for piece root grafting, but are 
generally set out and allowed to grow 
one season and then top worked by one 
of the methods described. 
Dwarf apple trees come into bearing 
much earlier than others, but do not live 
nearly so long. Dwarf apples, particu- 
larly varieties adapted to dwarfing, attain 
a height of six or seven feet, and hence 
a large number may be grown on an acre 
of ground. Dwarfs are sometimes grown 
in pots. In the orchard they may he 
planted as close as eight or ten feet apart 
each way. 
W. L. HOwArp, 
Columbia, Mo. 
Root Grafting 
Piece-Root Experiments 
Probably no topic connected with apple 
growing has received more discussion 
than the methods of grafting, the most 
diverse opinions being held by nursery- 
men and apple growers. The Kansas 
station has recently reported experiments 
in which some important points in regard 
to root grafting apples were brought out. 
The object of the work was to determine 
the relative positions of the graft on the 
stock. The tests were carried through a 
number of years, and in all several thou- 
sand grafts were made. The stocks used 
were all No. 1 seedlings, most of which 
were regraded to get a uniform lot. The 
scions were also as uniform as possible. 
In the first experiment six-inch Ben 
Davis scions were grafted on different 
parts of roots. The tops of seedlings 
were cut off below the crown and the roots 
cut into three pieces. One hundred grafts 
were made with the upper parts of the 
roots, 100 with the middle parts, and 
100 with the lower parts or tips of the 
roots. About 80 per cent of the grafts 
made with the upper and middle parts 
of the roots grew, and at one and two 
years old there was little difference be- 
tween the trees grown from them. Of 
the grafts made with the root tips only 
60 per cent grew. The first season the 
trees of this lot averaged one-third less 
in height than the other lots and were 
more slender and weak. The second year 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
the difference was less marked The 
same year that the above experiment was 
begun 100 Ben Davis scions two feet 
long were grafted on the upper parts of 
roots cut below the crown. At two years 
old these trees were about one-half larger 
and stronger than the trees from six. 
inch scions on similar stochs. Many of 
the tops were so heavy as to necessitate 
summer pruning. 
In 1893 more extensive experiments 
were made. Winesap, Missouri Pippin, 
Ben Davis, and Maiden Blush apples 
were used in each series of grafts made. 
Three lengths of scions, 6, 12 and 24 
inches, were used. "With each kind of 
scion four lengths of stocks were used, 
namely, piece roots, 14%, 214 and 5 
inches long, and whole roots. For all 
piece-root grafts the upper parts of roots 
were used. In all cases except where 
144-inch stocks were used, one-half of 
the grafts were made one inch above the 
crown and the other half below the crown. 
Besides the above a number of grafts 
were made on 21-inch piece roots of 
small size. In all 9,200 grafts were made. 
The grafts were set in nursery rows, 
with the place of union of stock and 
scion in all cases about three inches 
below the surface of the soil. The per- 
centage of loss was great, owing to the 
very unfavorable spring and to the grafts 
having been stored in a cellar which was 
too warm. The loss with the whole root 
grafts was least, and increased as the 
length of the root diminished. About 
82 per cent of the whole-root grafts were 
living at the end of the first year, as 
against only about 49 per cent of the 
5-inch, 17 per cent of the 2%-inch, 11 
per cent of the small 2%-inch, and 6 
per cent of the 114-inch piece-root grafts. 
From measurements made at the end of 
the third season it was shown that the 
greatest growth was made in trees grafted 
on the longest stocks and that the growth 
declined gradually, though slightly, with 
the shorter stocks, being about 11 per cent 
greater with the whole root than with 
the 114-inch piece-root grafts. The trees 
also showed a tendency to make the best 
growth from the longest scions, the 
growth being 11 per cent greater with 
