2l8 



PIECE-ROOTS vs. WHOLE-ROOTS. 



soap to each pail of white-wash. I can assure all that 

 this wash is always helpful and not harmful to the 

 trees. Having the soap, it easily disintegrates and in a 

 few months washes off entirely, leaving the bark com- 

 paratively smooth and healthy. 



Many orchards undoubtedly go into premature decay 

 simply from starvation. Hence it is of the utmost im- 

 portance that the orchard be regularly and judiciously 

 manured. We are not likely to overdo in this matter, 

 and yet it is occasionally done. Stable manure is ex- 

 cellent for trees, but where, for any reason, this is not 

 readily available, unleached wood ashes, or potash 

 salts, either sulphate or muriate, and some form of 

 available nitrogen to make a complete fertilizer, will 



answer well. In regard to quantity, use enough to pro- 

 duce a fine crop of corn, and repeat year by year regu- 

 larly. On most soils a dressing of lime is very bene- 

 ficial, the quantity used ranging from 30 to 40 bushels 

 per acre, according to the richness of the soil, using 

 more on a deep rich soil than otherwise, and repeating 

 this in three or four years, especially if the effect is 

 favorable. 



Let me emphasize systematic, liberal management. 

 For lack of this the most promising beginnings might 

 fail, and having this, many failing orchards might be, 

 in measure, restored to fruitfulness. 



P. M. Augur. 



State Poiiwlogist, Conn. 



PIECE-ROOTS vs. WHOLE-ROOTS. 



ISFORTUNE app ears 

 to follow any discussion 

 of root-grafting. The 

 difficulties enveloping the 

 subject, the pecuniary inter- 

 ests of those who have trees 

 of one kind or another to sell, 

 and the love of controversy 

 for its own sake, render any attempt at 

 solution of the relative merits of root- 

 grafted, crown-grafted and budded 

 trees well nigh useless. And writers 

 themselves have been to blame in set- 

 ting out without some definite proposi- 

 tion to prove ; and as a consequence observations 

 have been restricted aiid facts have been perverted, 

 even unconsciously. It was with much liesitation 

 that I entered into this disputed field before the Nur- 

 serymen's ^Association last year, but it seemed advis- 

 able to undertake a fair discussion of the subject 

 among nurserymen themselves. The immediate re- 

 sult was gratifying, for the nurserymen discussed the 

 matter earnestly and fairly. But so much cannot be 

 said of some of the discussion which the attempt has 

 since provoked. My object was simply to state 

 some points of difference which I thought I liad 

 observed between piece-rooted and wliole-rooted 

 trees, and there was no attempt to show that one 

 is necessarily better than the other.* It is yet too 

 early to attempt to judge of ultimate merits ; we 

 must first establish some common ground of obser- 

 vation and study. 



Root-grafting serves two entirely distinct purposes. In 

 the old apple regions it is a means of propagating apple 

 trees cheaply and rapidly, but in the Northern prairie 

 states it is used for the purpose of securing own-rooted 

 trees by the use of a very long scion. With this latter 



* See the article itself in tliis magazine for la-;! Angust. 



use of root-grafting I am entirely unconcerned in this 

 discussion, for in this case the root serves only as a 

 temporary nurse and the resulting own-rooted trees are 

 not comparable with graft-rooted trees. The general 

 conclusions which I reached concerning piece-rooted 

 trees are simply these : 



1. The roots are comparatively weak the first year or 

 two, and the trees make a shorter growth than upon 

 whole roots. 



2. The roots are apt to be prongy, one-sided and 

 shallow. Subsequent study has only confirmed these 

 convictions. But there are many who think them erro- 

 neous, and I am glad of an opportunity to present a few 

 representative opinions. I have thought it not worth 

 while to repeat any correspondence which is purely con- 

 troversial in spirit. 



From G. J. Carpenter, Nebraska. — "I send samples 

 of apple trees upon piece-roots. They are simply fair 

 specimens, not selected ones by any means, and in mak- 

 ing photographs of them I wish that you would name 

 the variety, as we find a great difference in different 

 varieties of apple roots; for instance, the Ben Davis 

 has nearly twice the amount of root growth that the 

 Wine Sap has, and you will notice that the varieties we 

 send you differ greatly. In digging some thousand 

 trees this fall we have borne in mind the statement 

 that in piece-root grafts the roots are on one side, and 

 we found that it was not true with us, but find that they 

 are evenly balanced, as you will note by the sample 

 sent. " 



These trees were as fine average specimens of apple 

 trees as I have seen. The roots — which were all from 

 the original root — were symmetrical or very nearly so, 

 strong and numerous, and the trees straight and hand- 

 some. They were three years old from the graft. Fig. 

 I shows the roots of the trees. The varieties are 

 Maiden's Blush, Fallawater [Tii/pe/ioiken), Golden Rus- 

 set, Hubbardston [//t//>/>ar,/stiui's A^un'sue/t), and Grav- 

 enstein, in the order named. In order to arrive at a 

 basis of comparison I procured the same varieties of 

 average budded trees of the same age from a western 



