The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyright, 1900, by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co. 
“ If I were to die to-morrow, I would plant a tree to-day.”— Stephen Girard. 
Vol. VIII. . ROCHESTER, N. Y., MARCH, 1900. No. 2. 
CHANCE FOR A SPECIALIST. 
Is There Not an Opening for a Nurseryman, Asks Professor John 
Craig—Demand for Hardy Stocks for Plums, Apples and 
Cherries—Would Solve the Problem of Root Killing 
and Cultural Questions Along Other Lines. 
In the light of the experience of the past winter, said Prof. 
John Craig, of the Iowa Agricultural College, to a represen¬ 
tative of the National Nurseryman, it is futile to say that 
our commercial fruit stocks are satisfactory in the upper Mis¬ 
sissippi valley. The question arises, however, how may they 
be improved, and what substitutions can we make for those 
already in common use? Taking up the apple first, our expe¬ 
rience has shown us that t.he crabs have suffered much less 
than the cultivated apple. This has been due to their superior 
hardiness, and also to their habit of rooting quite freely from 
the scion. Would it be worth while to collect the seed of the 
red and yellow Siberian crab for the purpose of growing hardy 
stocks for our apples ? At present the scheme would be im¬ 
practicable on a commercial basis. It would be impossible to 
secure the crab seed, and even if it were secured, there is no 
doubt that a considerable percentage of the seedlings so ob¬ 
tained would be as tender as many of the apple seedlings now 
used. It has been pretty well proved and is a fact which is 
now generally accepted that the Siberian crab is of hybrid 
origin, probably intermediate between the cultivated apple and 
the small berry crab (Pyrus baccata) of Europe. In this 
hybrid race we might expect the elements of variability to be 
emphatically in evidence. Until we have definite experiments 
to show that the product of seed of this type would be fairly 
constant in character I am not prepared to recommend it as 
a stock. 
There is another objection which I think would be urged by 
the nurserymen. That is that the stocks would be gnarly and 
stunted in habit. This would depreciate their value very con¬ 
siderably in the West, where long, smooth roots are required in 
order to facilitate the work of piece-root grafting. C. G. Pat¬ 
ten of Charles City in a recent number of the Iowa Fruitman 
reports adverse experience in the use of this stock. 
Pyrus baccata, the true Siberian crab, has been recom¬ 
mended by Prof. Hansen in bulletin No. 65 . In the bulletin 
the writer quotes Russian experience with this berry-like crab 
which appears to be favorable to its use a budding stock. It 
has not been recommended for root grafting. This stock, it is 
stated, has a distinctly dw?rfing effect upon the scion. It is 
probable that it may be of some service in northern apple 
growing regions but I do not anticipate that it will ever be of 
any importance commercially in the orchard districts of the 
Mississippi valley. The subject is, however, well worthy of 
investigation. 
In regard to cherry stocks, we have a native form which is 
unquestionably hardy. The only cherries in nursery on these 
grounds uninjured last winter were those either on their own 
roots, or on the red bird cherry, Prunus Pennsylvanica. The 
bird cherry is rather difficult to work commercially. Stocks 
grow very rapidly under cultivation and continue their growth 
late into the season and it is a matter of fine discernment to 
hit upon just the right moment to bud them. If too early, 
growth of the stock is so rapid that the bud is “ drowned ” out. 
If too late, a union will not take place. Seed is somewhat 
difficult to secure, because it is essentially the birds’ cherry 
and at the time when it ripens is quickly appropriated by 
them. 
In the matter of plum stocks the sand cherry (Prunus Bes- 
seyi), appears to be the hardiest form we know anything about. 
Native plums in orchard on this stock were entirely uninjured 
last winter while the same varieties on Americana stocks along¬ 
side were killed. The sand cherry can be worked with satis¬ 
factory ease either by budding or grafting. Bird cherry 
suckers, but more freely than Morello. I know of quite a 
large orchard in the East on this stock which has been giving 
satisfactory crops for two or three years, having been set out 
in 1893 . Sand cherry sprouts also. In addition, it distinctly 
dwarfs the scion. On the other hand it appears somewhat to 
increase the hardiness of the scion, as Burbank plums, worked 
on this stock, entirely escaped injury last winter and bore a 
fair crop of fruit while other stocks, grafted on Americana plum, 
were killed. 
Is there not an opening here for a nurseryman specialist ? 
Would it not pay one of our Northwest nurserymen to become 
a specialist in propagating hardy stocks for plums, apples and 
cherries and thus give us an opportunity of trying them on an 
extensive scale ? 
Hardy stocks will not alone solve the root killing problem ; 
but closely connected with stocks are the cultural questions of 
deeper planting and suitable cover crops. 
ADVICE TO PLANTERS. 
G. P. Turner, Lima county, Mo., gives this advice to planter,, 
of apple orchards : 
Buy good thrifty trees and be willing to pay a fair price for 
them, but do not pay fancy prices in the hope of getting a 
better article. This is a delusion and a snare into which many 
farmers have fallen. 
Do not ask the nurseryman if he has whole or piece root 
budded trees. If you insist on having those kinds you simply 
show your ignorance of trees in general. Have not Professors 
Taft, Clark, Secretary Goodman and a host of others said re¬ 
peatedly through the reports of our State Horticultural Society 
that it did not matter by what manner of propagation a tree is 
obtained so that it is a good tree. It seems to me that the 
opinion of these eminently practical and disinterested men 
