The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyright, 1900 . by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co. 
"Of all men, I am the nurseryman’s best friend.” — II. M. 
Stringfellow. 
VOL. VIII. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y., DECEMBER, 
1900. 
No. i i — 12. 
PROPAGATION OF PLUMS. 
Results of Experiments Made Under the Direction of Professor 
F. A. Waugh, Burlington, Vt. — Fullest Success Is Reached bv 
Grafting a Scion Upon a Stock Especially Adapted to It— 
Averages Teach That Americana Stocks Are Worthy of 
More Careful Trial by Nurserymen. 
In the November issue of the National Nurseryman, page 
115, was presented an extract from the preliminary report by 
Prof. F. A. Waugh, of the Vermont Experiment Station, re¬ 
garding experiments in the propagation of plums, of special 
interest to nurserymen. As stated, five varieties of plums were 
progagated in four lots, each on four different stocks, r j f 
Waugh summarizes results as follows: 
AS TO VARIETIES PROPAGATED: AVERAGES. 
Description. 
Total 
trees in 
each lot. 
Extreme 
height in 
feet. 
Average 
height in 
feet. 
Number 
merchant¬ 
able. 
Per cent, 
merchant¬ 
able. 
Stoddard. 
17 00 
4.46 
2.72 
7.75 
47 
Green Gage. 
7.50 
3.44 
1.62 
1.50 
20 
Chabot. 
13.25 
5.29 
4.04 
11.25 
85 
Milton. 
13.50 
4.13 
3.03 
8.50 
58 
Newman. 
15.00 
4.62 
3.76 
13.50 
89 
AS TO STOCKS USED: AVERAGES. 
Americana.... 
19.8 
4 90 
2.97 
12.8 
59 
Wayland. 
12.0 
4.63 
3.43 
8.2 
67 
Marianna. 
8.6 
3.97 
3.26 
5.6 
67 
Teach. 
14.6 
4.05 
2.49 
7 6 
42 
The term “merchantable trees” applies to all trees above three feet 
in height, which were clean and straight enough to pass with an ordi, 
nary buyer. It was not found feasible to separate the lots into “firsts’ 
and “ seconds.” But those trees classed as “ merchantable ” were very 
much such stock as is sold by the better nurserymen on orders for one 
year old plum trees. 
Doubtless we ought to apologize for drawing any conclusions from a 
single experiment and in a preliminary report. Nevertheless, we shall 
take the liberty of mentioning some of the most obvious facts brought 
out by the data presented above. The following statements are true 
and accurate, of course, for the experiment in hand. As to how fa r 
they would hold good in other years, in other soils and other climates 
remains to be seen. Probably many of these data would be verified in 
other experiments. 
Comparison of Varieties—It will be seen that Stoddard gave the 
largest average number of trees in each lot; Chabot gave the greatest 
average height, considering either extremes or averages; while New¬ 
man gave the largest average number and percentage of merchantable 
trees. Green Gage gave the lowest average in every column. These 
figures indicate that Green Gage is comparatively very difficult to prop¬ 
agate; whereas Newman and Chabot are comparatively easy. The fig¬ 
ures emphasize these conclusions less than an examination of the trees 
would. 
Comparison of Stocks—It will be seen that the Americana stocks 
gave the largest average total of trees in each lot, the tallest trees (ex¬ 
treme height considered), and considerably the largest number of mer¬ 
chantable trees. This is somewhat remarkable. Americana stocks 
have come into use only in the Northwest and only because they are 
understood to be extremely hardy. It is altogether unexpected that 
they should outrank peach and Marianna stocks in the production of 
good, clean merchantable trees in a Southern nursery and in a sandy 
soil. This is perhaps the most striking fact brought out by the experi. 
ment. On the other hand the Marianna—still considered the best stock 
in many Southern nurseries—gave much the smallest number of trees, 
considering either the total or the merchantable product. 
General Results—If we go behind the averages, however, we find 
that they cover a number of inequalities. These inequalities, more 
over, are quite as significant in some cases as the averages. Thus we 
find that Stoddard—an Americana—did better on Americana roots than 
on any other, though the Wayland stocks gave equal results as regards 
number of merchantable trees and a greater average size. Green 
Gage seems to have done best on Wayland stocks, and to have been a 
failure on Marianna—a stock on which it is often propagated commer¬ 
cially. Chabot gave by far the best results on Americana roots, though 
it has generally been supposed that Marianna and peach stocks were 
specially congenial to the Japanese plums. Milton made the best 
showing on Wayland stocks, while it was practically a failure on 
peach. This last point was very striking, and came much in the 
nature of a surprise. Peach stocks have b'een supposed to be suitable 
for all the plums of the Wildgoose type. Newman did best on peacb, 
which is according to current opinion ; but it gave second best 
results on Americana, which is not in agreement with the nursery 
notions commonly held. It was the poorest of all on Marianna roots, 
though Marianna has often been specially recommended for propagat¬ 
ing all the Chicasaws. 
We, therefore, arrive at this important notion: that a given variety 
does not do equally well on all stocks, and, vice versa, that a given 
stock is not equally adapted to all varieties. In other words, the full- 
' est success is reached by grafting a scion upon a stock which is speci¬ 
ally adapted to it. This is a refinement of nursery practice which tbe 
ordinary nurseryman is probably not prepared to adopt. It might, 
nevertheless, be worth his while to do so in certain cases. It seems 
fair to believe, in view of the figures here given, that a nurseryman 
might have three or four sorts of stocks on hand; and that he might 
with advantage work each variety which he propagates upon the stock 
which is best for it. A difference of 10 to 20 per cent, of the merchant 
able product is the difference between a losing business and money in 
the bank. 
The man who is seeking an all-purpose stock will naturally confine 
his examination of these figures to the averages. The principal lesson 
which they teach is, that Americana stocks are worthy of more careful 
trial by many nurserymen and private propagators. 
Delay in the publication of this report enables us to add our 
observations of the behavior of these trees during the summer of 1900 . 
As has been been related, three of the best trees from each lot were 
selected and planted in permanent orchard arrangement on the station 
grounds in Burlington. 
The average growth of these several lots is shown in the following 
table: 
AVERAGE GROWTH IN ORCHARD—MEASUREMENTS IN INCHES. 
On 
On 
On 
On 
Americana. 
Wayland. 
Marianna. 
Peach. 
Stoddard . 
24 
17 * 
15 
10 
Green Gage. 
11 
16 
13 
18 
Chabot. 
34 
34 
37 * 
18 
Milton. 
28 
37 
38 
0 
Newman. 
33 
37 
26 
24 
