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far less vig'oroiis, and not yieklino- nearly so much fruit as the other 

 trees. It is a pretty hard problem to solve. 



I would rather have the fourth cut from the seedling of a good., 

 vigorous variety ; I would rather develop a seedling for three or four 

 years to find out what it is, than to have the whole root of that other 

 little fellow, and especially when I do not know what it is. I would 

 rather have the fourth cut of a seedling of some good, strong grow- 

 ing red winter sort, than to have the whole root of the other, and 

 more so, if it chanced to be a seedling of a Yellow Transparent and 

 I wanted to top work it to Stark, Stayman, or other winter sort. I 

 have seen tests by top grafting in this section. I have known cases 

 where winter varieties were grafted on early kinds; and when the 

 season for the early variety arrived, the apples top-worked began 

 to drop. 



The nurseryman has not been able to command sufficient prices 

 to enable him to handle his goods in this expensive way. If the 

 farmer is to grow his trees and to do his own propagating, let him 

 develop his seedlings for two or three years. If he would grow a 

 hundred for four years, and then were to only get twenty-five that 

 exactly suited him, out of the lot, he could afiford to discard all the 

 others and it would pay him. 



There are several points to be considered in the selection of 

 seedlings for our orchards here in Adams County — and we are be- 

 ginning to learn something of the tendencies of trees and growth. 

 We should heed foliage, condition of growth, the nature of the 

 growth, that is, the characteristics of the tree, whether they are 

 strong and vigorous, or whether they are weak and slow growing, 

 whether the foliage is subject to scab and fungus diseases, and 

 whether it is upright in its habits, or whether it is knotty. 



Member. Would you regard the vigor of the tree as the most 

 essential thing? 



Mr. Peters. Yes ; however, it would be better also to discover 

 something of its variety than to select the seeds promiscuously. If 

 the orchardist is to use apple seedlings at all, he is justified in grow- 

 ing his own seedlings. He should not use Summer Rambo and 

 Early Ripe seedlings, if he is going to grow Baldwins, and later 

 winter varieties. If he wants to have an apple with good red cheeks, 

 I do not see how he is going to get it by grafting on Rambo or 

 Baltzley. Live stock is not produced that way. 



Member. Doesn't this raise the question of the efifects of the 

 stock on the scion? 



Mr. Bassett. Now you have gotten into deep water again. 

 Professor -Gulley, of Connecticut, carried on experiments there that 

 proved to him, and to others that saw the work, that the actual re- 

 sult of the work on the scion was nil. In regard to this root-graft 

 he said that the root system is simply a feeder for the bud or scion. 

 If the cook in my kitchen is a colored lady, it doesn't necessarily 

 follow that I must develop into a colored man, does it ? 



Member. If it is sufficient to effect that bud or that scion, is 

 that not sufficient to effect the fruit? 



Mr. Bassett. I do not understand that it partakes of the na- 

 ture of the root ; and if you graft on Grime's Golden, I do not think 

 you will get any less color. I know George T. Powell, of New 



