130 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
FRUIT TREE CUTTINGS. 
Result of Experiments at Cornell University—Hardly to be Hoped 
That the Plan Can be of Commercial Value in General 
— The Study of Varieties—Many Things are to be 
Considered in Connection with the Work. 
At the September meeting of the Columbus, Ohio, Horti¬ 
cultural Society Fred K. Luke who has been studying for 
several years at Cornell University read a paper on “The 
Propagation of Fruit Trees from Cuttings.’’ He said : 
Tor some years graftage has received the condemnation of some of 
the leading horticulturists of the old world. They did not hesitate to 
pronounce it pernicious. The most vigorous opposition to graftage 
was about fifteen years ago. In recent years we have not heard so 
much. Some of the arguments hurled against graftage by these 
champions may be of interest to-day. 
“First. Grafting is often badly done; unsuitable stocks are fre¬ 
quently used. 
‘Second.—Of all forms of grafting, root grafting is most successful 
and best, as it allows the scion to throw out roots of its own. 
The old notion of grafting a weakly variety onto a more vigorous 
stock is wrong in principle, and very often leads to bad results in 
practice. 
louith. The least of two evils is to graft strong growing scions 
on dwarf stock. Such trees require more constant culture and attention 
than the same variety worked on seedlings. 
Fifth. Granting that grafting is in some cases expedient, yet it 
lemains an unnatural makeshift or sham, and has led and still leads 
to an enormous loss of growth force. 
Sixth. While grafting is, so far as mere stock growing is con¬ 
cerned, veiy convenient; it may also, under its best conditions, (viz., 
suitable stocks and root grafting) be expedient and useful ; yet at the 
present time it is by no means proven that in many cases own root fruit 
trees would not equal or surpass grafted ones in fertility and dura¬ 
bility, etc. 
“In 1889 the editor of one of the leading horticultural papers of Eng¬ 
land advanced the following ideas in opposition to grafting. “It is 
not only that we lose the shrubs by death, disease, or canker, but if 
they do grow on these strong growing stocks, we are prevented from 
seeing their natural habit.” He attacks nurserymen because they graft 
and thinks that buyers should demand stock on own roots. 
“Arguments like the above naturally led people to wonder how to 
get stock on own roots. As most of the herbaceous and some of the 
woody plants are readily grown from cuttings it was but natural for 
them to think that fruit trees should be grown in the same way. There 
followed a period in which this notion had many enthusiastic advo¬ 
cates. Among this number were some who stood high in the horticul¬ 
tural world. To some extent there was some'foundation for this new 
belief. That is some of those who would propagate fruit trees by this 
new process had made more or less experimental observation along this 
line. Some came to this conclusion by means of very limited or acci¬ 
dental observation. While a third class either based their argument 
upon the stories they heard or they reasoned by analogy, if the willow 
will grow from cuttings why not the apple, etc. ? For some years 
fruit trees were grown from cuttings on a very large scale on paper. 
I find but? very few who have actually experimented along this line. 
CONTROLLING CONDITIONS. 
When we undertake to grow a plant from cuttings, we must co 
sider not the plant alone, but the condition we can give it as well. Y 
do not always realize fully how difficult a matter it is to control cone 
tions. I have no doubt that most any tree can be grown from cuttin 
if we can give those cuttings just the conditions they want. But rig 
there in the conditions we meet an obstacle which is not easily ove 
come. Since I began work on this subject I have handled 7,3 
cuttings and am lead to believe that nearly each variety demands co 
ditions a little different from any other variety. 
“ When we decided to study the propagation of. fruit trees fro 
cuttings, we could learn of no one who had any definite knowledge c 
such a subject. The only way for us to get any information was to go 
to work. We chose the apple, pear, plum, and grape. In the latter 
both scion and root cuttings were made and each cut into three 
lengths, one inch, three inches, and six inches. In case of each of the 
others both scion and root cuttings were made as follows : The scions 
were cut from three seasons’ growth, each of which was cut into three 
lengths the same as in the grape. The roots were graded according to 
diameter as accurately as was possible, viz., one-half inch, one-fourth 
inch, and less than one-fourth inch, each of which were cut into three 
lengths the same as the scions. This gives us eighteen lots of cuttings 
of each fruit except the grape of which we have but six so far. Each 
one of these lots was further divided into two equal ones of twelve 
cuttings each. This division was made so that we could test them in 
two different temperatures. One bed had a bottom heat of about 77 
degrees, while that of the other was about 64 degrees. The matter of 
callousing them before putting them in the bed. So while the first lot 
were pu,t in the beds without callus a second lot just like the first, only 
larger in number, were put in sand in an inverted position to encour¬ 
age callus formation. After three months of patient watching and 
care we noticed the first bed as failures and proceeded to put in the lot 
we had entrusted to the callousing pit for a time. 
BOTTOM HEAT. 
“The average bottom heat of these beds was about 77 degrees and 
64 degrees, respectively. After we had filled these two beds in the 
same manner as the previous ones, we found that we could make good 
use of the surplus cuttings we had put in the callousing pit. Some 
people believed that if cuttings came into contact with some form of 
earthenware such as pots or tile they would root better. To test this, 
two beds Nos. 3 and 4 were made, one having a brick bottom while the 
other was an ordinary bottom serving as a check. Each of the three 
large fruits were further subjected to two treatments in pot culture. 
Six inch and three inch cuttings were inserted in the sand in such a 
way that the rooting end should come in contact with the side of the 
pot. 
“Three year old trees of apple, pear and plum, and one year old of 
grape were forced in the house until they had new growth of sufficient 
length, when cuttings were made and intrusted to the various beds. 
Of these green cuttings we also put a few in the regular cuttings’ bed 
of the Horticultural Department, in which begonias, chrysanthemums, 
fuchsia, etc., rooted readily. 
“In the minds of some the cuttings would root best if kept in a close 
atmosphere, and a steady temperature. Such conditions are difficult 
to obtain in a large house heated by the regular heating plant which 
furnishes heat for all the other houses. A small bed was constructed, 
heated by a lamp, in which the temperature and ventilation were 
under the control of the operator. 
“With all of the above devices as applied to the second lot of cut¬ 
tings we gave the grape eighteen distinct treatments, and each of the 
other fruits forty-eight distinct treatments. 
APPLES. 
“When we took final notes we observed that in case of the apple all 
of the scion cuttings had failed to strike out. Of the apple root cut¬ 
tings, in low bottom heat, of the six inch long and one-half inch diam¬ 
eter, five rooted ; while of the one-fourth inch diameter the following 
number had rooted, of the six inch long, three cuttings, of the three 
inch long, two cuttings and of the one inch iong one cutting. Of those 
less than one-fourth inch diameter the six inch long gave four rooted 
cuttings. All of the remainder of the cuttings in low bottom heat gave 
negative results. In the bed with high bottom heat of the one inch 
long and one-lialf inch diameter one rooted. All the rest were nega¬ 
tive. 
GRAPES. 
“ In the bed with low bottom heat we rooted four scions six inches 
long, four that were three inches long, and five that were one inch 
long. In the bed of high bottom heat, nine scions of the six inch long, 
five of the three inch long, and one of the green cuttings rooted. In 
the bed which serves as a check for the one with brick bottom, but one 
green cutting rooted, and in the department bed but four green cut¬ 
tings rooted. All the rest were dead. 
