92 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
PROPAGATION OF APPLE TREES BY CUTTINGS 
AND LAYERS 
There are few published lecords of attempts to propa¬ 
gate apple trees by cuttings. Doubtless many have been 
made and not reported, for the uniform results on record 
may be described in the single word—failure. 
Luke attempted to root apple cuttings of various sizes 
and lengths at cutting-bed temperatures of 64 degrees and 
67 degrees. All failed to strike root. Luke was able to 
induce root cuttings to grow with fairly good success. 
Attempts to root apple cuttings were made during the 
summer of 1912. Green wood cuttings 3 to 4 inches long 
were made in early August and September, and set in 
sand in the greenhouse. Powdered charcoal was also 
used as a propagating medium, both alone and a one-half 
inch layer over sand, with the hope that it might check 
disease. Bottom heat in varying degrees was used in 
some cases, also an enclosed propagating frame. In 
short, an effort was made to provide the best possible con¬ 
ditions for cuttings. Something over a thousand cuttings 
of several different varieties were made. The results 
were much the same in all cases. The cuttings formed a 
callus, varying somewhat with the variety, and the buds 
started out until the leaves were about one-fourth inch 
long. This occupied about two weeks, after which 
growth ceased. The final result was the same in prac¬ 
tically all cases. Of the 1,000 or more cuttings only a 
single one of the Fall Pippin variety rooted, and that only 
a single short shoot that was broken off in removing from 
the sand, so that it failed to grow. Fig. 1 is a typical re¬ 
presentation of the range of development of callus and 
leaf. Arranged in order of callus development the varie¬ 
ties are Yellow Transparent, Fall Pippin, Red Astrachan, 
Bough (Sweet), Ben Davis, Wagener. As will be shown 
later, these varieties may be induced to root from the 
scion, when grown by the nurse-root method, more or less 
readily, according to the variety. There is, however, 
little or no correlation between callus growth and root 
formation, as may be seen by comparison with the num¬ 
bers rooting shown in Table 2. 
One lot of cuttings was watered with a nutrient solu¬ 
tion, using a formula in common use for growing seed¬ 
lings. The only effect was a noticeable growth of green 
algae over the surface of the sand. The cutting growth 
was hindered rather than helped. 
In spite of these failures it is the opinion of the writer 
that it is possible to grow apple trees from cuttings. To 
an inquiry addressed to many of the leading nurserymen 
of the country, thirty-five replied that they had never seen 
cuttings or prunings from the trees taking root, while 
seventeen professed to have observed such an occurrence, 
though none of them considered it at all common. One 
nurseryman reported having planted well-callused scions 
in a mixture of sand and soil, and that “the best stand we 
ever had was something less than 10 per cent of the cut¬ 
tings planted.” The trees were weak for a year or two. 
The late T. Y. Munson of Denison, Tex., says: “I have of¬ 
ten had apple and even peach switches cut from the trees 
in February and stuck into the ground (very sandy) for 
label sticks, take root and grow off well.” 
In the spring of 1913 a considerable number of root cut¬ 
tings from young trees were planted in the nursery row. 
No record was kept of them, but they made a good stand 
though growth was very slow the first season. It is the 
practice of at least one nursery firm to dig trees already 
established on their own roots once in two years and cut 
off the roots for propagation by root cuttings. The trees 
arc then replanted and a new crop of roots grown. 
In a later experience of the writer, root cuttings from 
the root system of bearing trees were used in an attempt 
to propagate the stock variety. This resulted in almost a 
complete failure. The roots used were from one-quarter 
to one-half inch in diameter, and when planted in the 
open, about 3 inches long. Others planted in the green¬ 
house were about IV 2 inches long. Whether older roots 
propagate with greater difficulty, or whether some unfav¬ 
orable conditions not readily seen interfered with success, 
cannot be told with certainty. 
Propagation by Layers. 
The method commonly used in propagating dwarf trees 
is by some form of layerage. A considerable number of 
attempts were made to induce root formation by air layer- 
age. Earthen pots were split, and in early August were 
placed in appropriate position on growing shoots and 
filled with sphagnum moss. They were kept moist by 
frequent watering. None of these air layers showed root 
formation. It proved difficult with the rather small pots 
used to maintain uniform moisture conditions, and this 
may have had something to do with the failure. 
In the spring of 1917 two-year-old trees growing in the 
nursery row were cut off 3 or 4 inches above the ground 
and allowed to stool. Later in the summer soil was heap¬ 
ed up around the new shoots to the height of 4 or 5 inches. 
The varieties used were Ben Davis, Rough, Rhode Island 
Greening and Transcendent. None of these shoots have 
been separated in an attempt to establish them as inde¬ 
pendent trees, but investigation in the spring of 1919 
showed that most shoots of all these varieties bore small 
roots, coming out near the junction with the cut-off 
stump. 
Mass. Experiment Station Bulletin 190. 
THE SUBJECT OF COSTS 
The opening session of the Illinois Nurserymen’s Asso¬ 
ciation on February 12th enjoyed an unexpected pleasure 
in listening to an address on “Cost Accounting” by Mr. J. 
L. Jacobs, Public Accountant. He complimented the as¬ 
sociation in taking up such subjects at its meetings. “The 
new concept is that of service. The idea of producing for 
profit alone, is narrow, while the wider scheme takes in 
not only the employe, but society as a whole. Necessarily, 
to accomplish this your programme must include one big 
thing, and that thing is cooperation. You cannot get very 
far if you have cut-throat competition. I am happy to 
know that you are connected with the A. A. N. and that 
you are getting down to fundamentals where you are to 
get some standard price basis and standard classifications. 
“Cooperation, harmony, energy will enable you to make 
the greatest progress individually or in groups.” 
The speaker then developed his subject by referring to 
the work which had been done during the war in connec¬ 
tion with the ship building and other trades where it was 
found necessary to divide both the big and little manufac- 
