Vol. LXIV. No. 2907 NEW YORK, OCTOBER 14. 1905. weekly, $i.oo per year. 
APPLE SCIONS FROM BEARING TREES. 
Influence of the Stock. 
Is there any merit in the plan of selecting scions from 
bearing trees for top-working purposes, and does this apply 
to tardy bearers, like Spy particularly, to secure early 
bearing? Will an early bearing stock like McMahon 
(Russian) used for top-working (to Baldwin, King or Sutton) 
produce fruit sooner than a tardy bearing stock like Spy 
used for same purpose? If the answers to these questions 
are affirmative, why would not McMahon be the best possible 
stock for top-working to Spy, in order to make Spy an 
earlier bearer? What are McMahon defects as a stock for 
top-working? reader. 
Mr. Powell's Remarkable Results. 
The influence of stock upon scion has long been under 
discussion, but investigation has not been carried far 
enough yet to give positive information on the subject. 
Experiments are in progress that in a short time will 
give more definite knowledge. After 15 years’ experience 
in top-working fruit trees, I feel that there are advan¬ 
tages in it. There are two principles to be kept in mind 
in propagating trees, the vegetative and the productive. 
We have selected our buds and scions 
from bearing or productive trees. The 
Greening requires from seven to eight 
years to produce its first fruits. We have 
at the present time a block of these show¬ 
ing apples freely in three years by top¬ 
working, and the same results are ob¬ 
tained with other varieties. As to the 
effect of an early bearing stock upon a 
bud or scion in comparison with one that 
is slow or late, like Greening and Spy, 
1 doubt if there would be much difference, 
as we have used both. In budding or 
grafting the effect of cutting off the top 
of the tree checks for a time its root de¬ 
velopment, making it, in fact, a dwarf, 
and would be the same on an early or 
late-bearing stock. There may be an ef¬ 
fect on the maturing of varieties on early 
or late varieties in the stock. We have a 
block of Twenty Ounce top-worked on the 
Early Harvest, an early Summer variety. 
We ship these to Europe nearly a month 
earlier than those grown upon other 
stocks. There is so much difference in 
locality and in the soil in the same local¬ 
ity that it is difficult to give positive in¬ 
formation, for so many different factors 
enter into the case. As this is work that 
calls for careful investigation and study, 
it comes within the province of our ex¬ 
periment station^ to bring out the real 
facts. Having nearly one hundred acres of top-worked 
trees in all stages of development I feel that there is 
practical value in the principle. c.eorge t. powell. 
Some Merit In It. 
1 believe there is some merit in selecting scions from 
bearing trees either for top-working or for nursery 
propagation. This applies to all varieties, including 
Spy. Theoretically an early-bearing stock like Mc- 
> Mahon could bring a variety grafted on it into bear¬ 
ing sooner than a tardy stock. I do not think there has 
ever been any practical demonstration of this point. 
McMahon is an excellent stock for top-working to Spy. 
Perhaps it is the best stock there is. Duchess and 
Hibernal are excellent stocks for top-working, but Spy 
would probably overgrow on them. f. a. waugh. 
Limited Results in Rhode Island. 
We have a few trees planted in 1900, a part of which 
were top-worked the following year, and a part of 
which were allowed to grow as ordered from the nurs¬ 
ery. Several Rhode Island Greening trees which were 
top-worked on Northern Spy are bearing a few apples 
this year. Only one of the trees which were Rhode 
Island Greening as obtained from the nursery arc bear¬ 
ing. Scions were taken from each of these planted 
trees the following year and grafted into the Northern 
Spy tree adjacent. The tree which bears most fruit this 
year is one of those so grafted, but the tree from which 
it came has not fruited. Of course this experience is 
too limited to answer the question, but it seems to indi¬ 
cate that in this case at least no time has been lost 
by planting Northern Spy and top-working it the fol¬ 
lowing year instead of planting the variety wanted in 
the first place. Whether the use of an early-bearing 
stock will hasten the fruiting of tardy-bearing varie¬ 
ties like the Spy, I do not know. We have endeavored 
to answer several such questions by experiment, but not 
this one. So far we do not observe any marked influ¬ 
ence of the stock upon the scion in reference to date of 
bloom or color of fruit, but of course no argument can 
be drawn from that regarding this problem. I hope some 
one has had experience which will throw light upon it. 
It is a question that may only be settled by practical 
work, aided by commercial orchardists. F. w. card. 
A Decided Advantage in Selection. 
I think there is a decided advantage in selecting 
scions from bearing trees for top-working. I have had 
no experience with McMahon as a stock. The phenom¬ 
enal success of George T. Powell in securing early- 
bearing of Spy top-worked on Spy, would indicate that 
if there is a satisfactory union the character of the 
fruit borne by the stock may not be an indication of 
the effect of said stock upon the earliness of the scion. 
The first question is being answered by specific experi¬ 
ments at the Maine Experiment Station at the present 
time. The results will be reported in due season. 
w. M. MUNSON. 
McMahon is Very Promising. 
“Is there any merit in the plan of selecting scions 
from bearing trees for top-working purposes, and does 
this apply to tardy bearers like the Spy particularly to 
secure early bearing?” I think so, but it is a difficult 
matter to prove. I would select scions from trees pro¬ 
ducing the most desirable type of fruit. The grafting 
alone would hasten the time of fruiting and twice- 
worked trees would bear sooner than those worked but 
onee. An early-bearing stock like McMahon used for 
top-working will produce fruit sooner than a tardy¬ 
bearing stock like the Spy, but with small stock the 
trees will grow more slowly than with a stock of more 
vigor. The last question can only be settled by ex¬ 
periment. The McMahon certainly promises to be a 
valuable stock for top-working, but some varieties do 
not take well upon Russian stocks, and it would not be 
safe to risk large numbers of trees worked upon this 
stock until it can be determined whether a variety will 
be permanently successful upon it. s. G. maynard. 
Massachusetts. 
Very Largely Theory. 
So far as I know, it has never been proved that scions 
from bearing trees are better than those from the 
nursery. There is a theory to that effect. In all of my 
own work I never saw a particle of evidence in its 
favor. In practice I use scions from young-bearing 
trees, when convenient, more to insure correctness of 
variety than for any other reason, but I use scions 
from nursery trees every year. As to a tardy-bearing 
stock having any effect in delaying bear¬ 
ing of new top, I would not give it a sec¬ 
ond thought. I have no faith in it. I 
have used Spy stock very often. I have 
Jonathan top-worked on four-year Spy, 
some of which had apples the second sea¬ 
son, and nearly all the third. I do not 
think any other stock could have im¬ 
proved on that. As to McMahon, I know 
of no reason for or against its use as a 
stock. It is not, however, any earlier 
bearer than several others that could be 
named. There is a great deal advanced 
on the relative influence of stock and 
scion with very little absolute proof be¬ 
hind it. It takes so much time that very 
few care to undertake it. from five to 
eight years being necessary to produce re¬ 
sults. A. G. GULLEY. 
Connecticut. 
LOCUST TREES ON HILLSIDE. 
On a farm in Westmoreland County, 
Pa., eight years ago this Fall, the seed 
from a row of locust trees, which had 
been planted along a fence about 30 
years previous, was scattered by the wind 
over about two acres of one of the fields, 
containing five acres. The field is almost 
a perfect rectangle, and extends from a 
valley to the top of a high hill. The 
lower part of it is very good soil and easily 
worked, but the upper part is very steep and 
rocks outcrop in several places. The seed, for the 
most part, was scattered over the latter portion of it. 
The field was sown in rye that Fall, so that the seed 
easily became imbedded in the earth. As if by magic 
a luxuriant growth of young locusts sprung up. After 
the rye was cut the field was used as a pasture, and 
for two years very little attention was paid to the 
young trees. The third year, however, the owner deter¬ 
mined again to plow the field, but he had not proceeded 
very far until he discovered that this course would be 
impossible without first grubbing the trees, so firmly 
had they become established. His first impulse was 
to proceed with the grubbing, but after giving the mat¬ 
ter some thought, with the appreciation that locust tim¬ 
ber is very scarce in that section, he decided to allow 
the trees to remain, and cease cultivation of that 
portion of the field, with the confidence that in 15 or 
20 years timber could be cut that would mean many 
times equal the profits to be derived from the land in 
any other way. There are between 750 and 800 trees 
in the grove, the largest of which are five inches in 
diameter and 25 feet in height. m. g. s. 
STRAWBERRIES AND CELERY MARKETED TOGETHER. Fig. 314. 
See Page 745. 
