454 SOME STUDIES IN 



body of a good tree. And this is certainly sometimes 

 true of western grown trees, for the poorest trees that I 

 ever set were root-grafts from a leading nursery in one 



Fig. 3. Two-year-old Piece-grafts and Buds. 



of the prairie states. The terminal bud of the first 

 year's growth is apt to winter-kill, causing a crook to 

 form in the trunk. It is a common practice to cut back 

 the first year's growth to two or three buds. The root 

 is then strong enough to push out a good growth the 

 next year. In Figs. 2 and 3 the relative growths of 

 whole-rooted and piece-rooted trees are shown, as well. 



ROOT-GRAFTING. 



also, as the root systems. Fig. 3 shows, at the left, a 

 small bundle of two-year-old piece-roots, and opposite 

 a bundle of two-year-old buds. Fig. 2 shows, at the left, 

 three-year-old piece-roots and, on the right, two-year-old 

 buds. Fig. I also shows the same differences. All these 

 trees are Mann apple, procured in western New York. 

 These represent about the average comparative sizes of 

 trees of all varieties which have come under my obser- 

 vation, and a series of photographs sent me by C. M. 

 Stark, of the Pike County Nurseries, Missouri, shows 

 similar differences in size and shape. 



All the illustrations — from photographs — accompany- 

 ing this essay show the characteristic differences of root 

 formation between piece-rooted and whole-rooted tree^. 

 In piece-rooted stock the roots tend to run out horizon- 

 tally and to make a few large and prongy roots : and 

 there is also a decided tendency to one-sided root devel- 

 opment. I have observed these peculiarities in both 

 eastern and western trees. Whole-rooted trees possess 

 a symmetrical and deep root system. I am aware that 

 the root system varies with the variety, but in the same 

 variety I have always noticed the above differences be- 

 tween piece-rooted and whole-rooted trees. The shal- 

 low root system appears to characterize crown-piece 

 trees as well as piece-rooted trees, although my obser- 

 vation upon this point has been limited. Fig. i shows 

 the root-system of a two-year-old budded apple tree on 

 the left, and that of a three-year-old root-grafted tree 

 on the right. 



Upon first thought, it seems strange that piece-rooted 

 trees should possess, as a rule, a different root system 

 from others, but the explanation is not difficult to find. 

 Roots rarely start equally from all sides of the end of a 

 cutting, and those, upon any side, which get the first and 

 best start are likely to maintain the advantage. Fig. 4 — 

 also from a photograph — shows the young roots upon two 

 growing piece-rooted stocks. The roots in each case 

 have started from one side of the cutting.' In whole- 

 rooted budded trees, the stock is not removed from the 

 earth and the natural root system is not disturbed. In 

 whole-rooted grafted trees the roots are usually trimmed 

 at their tips, and from each severed tip a one-sided sys- 

 tem is likely to form ; but as there are often two or three 

 original roots to the stock, the combined one-sided sys- 

 tems are apt to produce more or less symmetry, for the 

 new roots usually push outwards from the axis of the 

 tree. And there also remains the fact that, even if the 

 grafted stock possesses but a single root, there is a greater 

 length of it than in the piece-root, and more roots can 

 start from it and it can give a better root system. But it 

 would seem that even then the root system of the whole- 

 rooted grafted tree must be more superficial than that 

 of the whole-rooted budded tree ; and one intelligent 

 nurseryman says that such is the case, but I have not 

 had the opportunity to observe it. The deep-rooted 

 character of a tree is certainly lessened when the ends 

 of the descending roots are cut off, for thereupon the 

 roots begin to branch. 



All the foregoing facts do not prove that piece-rooted 



