THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
08 
as the McIntosh and Stayman, make a remarkably strong 
growth on their own roots, possibly better than on most 
seedling rootstocks. Shaw asserts that some varieties on 
their own roots are largely, if not entirely, free from 
crown gall. Own-rooting to secure trees of known hardi¬ 
ness is also an advantage in certain cases. It has been 
contended by some that trees propagated by cuttings or 
layers are more shallow rooted than trees that are grafted 
seedlings, and hence more subject to injury by cold or 
drought. There does not appear to be any ground for 
Hi is contention. 
It cannot be expected, however, that the time will 
come when all nursery stock will he propagated by cut¬ 
tings, not only because of the difficulties that may be en¬ 
countered in rooting some sorts but also because some of 
them are certain to be more vigorous and productive on 
roots other than their own. The Concord grape roots 
readily from cuttings, yet Hedrick and Gladwin have 
secured a decidedly increased yield by grafting it on 
Vitis riparia roots, Winesap, Grimes, Duchess, Northern 
Spy and Rome are poor growers on their own roots. The 
perfection of commercial methods of own-rooting varie¬ 
ties of tree fruits is only a partial solution of the problem 
of how lo dispense with seedling roots. The ancient art 
of grafting is not likely to fall into disuse in American 
nurseries. 
Selecting Boot-stocks. The chief objective in the nur¬ 
sery program is not to propagate all varieties by cuttings, 
but to find root-stocks which can be propagated asexu- 
ally and which can be adapted to different varieties and 
soils. With the exception of the grape, very little atten¬ 
tion has been given to the comparative value of different 
root-stocks and to their influence on the vigor, longevity 
and productiveness of the tree, their adaptation to differ¬ 
ent soils and their immunity to insects and diseases. The 
refinements of stock selection for the grape, in France, 
are well known, particularly as to their adaptation to 
different soils. California growers of the vinifera varie¬ 
ties use riparia Gloire roots on deep, rich soils, rupestris 
St. George roots on the soils of the hot interior, and sev¬ 
eral other stocks for other soil conditions. It is probable 
that similar distinctions will be recognized, in time, with 
other fruits. The important factor of the adaptation of 
root stocks of tree fruits to soil has thus far been almost 
wholly ignored Jjcth by nurserymen and growers. The 
adaptation of certain varieties is another fruitful field 
for investigation. That the root-stock may influence the 
top in some respects is unquestioned. The stock is most 
likely to influence the cion in vigor of growth, and occa¬ 
sionally in season of ripening. Rarely does it affect the 
color or flavor of the fruit. 
The selection of fruit stocks for immunity to diseases 
and insects is another inviting field. Northern Spy stocks, 
propagated by layering, are used in Australia because of 
their immunity to Wooly Aphis, but they are unsatisfac¬ 
tory otherwise, making a weak tree. The Japanese pear. 
Pyrus ussuriensis, is widely used as a stock on the Pacific 
Coast, being quite resistant to fire blight, and wooly 
aphis. We need a blight proof apple stock. As our hor¬ 
ticulture becomes more specialized and refined, it will 
no longer be possible for nurserymen to sell sweet cherry 
trees on Majialeb roots to growers everywhere, simply be¬ 
cause this is the easiest stock to work in the nursery. 
Some will demand Mazzard roots, and other types of 
cherry root-stocks will be developed for different soils 
and different varieties. We are just beginning to see 
how little we really know about fruit stocks. 
Vegetative Propagation of Stocks. The next step in the 
improvement of nursery trees is the vegetative propaga¬ 
tion of selected root-stocks, thus eliminating the use of 
seedlings. The variation in seedlings is too great, and 
their influence on the growth of the cions is too marked 
to justify their use if satisfactory stocks can be found 
that may be multiplied cheaply without seeds. Hatton, 
the English propagator, has isolated eight distinct types 
of free-growing or standard apple stocks grown from 
crab seeds. When seven years old, these varied in height 
from four feet to eleven feet, and in circumference from 
three inches to nine inches. This fairly represents the 
amount of variation in the French crab seedlings that are 
the root systems of most of our apple orchards. Each 
of these types has been propagated vegetatively, some by 
mound layering and some by hardwood cuttings and some 
by root cuttings. These are now being multiplied and 
will become the basis of a series of standardized root¬ 
stocks for different purposes. 
Somewhat similar work is being done by the United 
States Department of Agriculture, by a combination of 
root cuttings and stool layering. Root cuttings, about 
three inches long and one-quarter inch thick, are planted 
vertically in March. When each of these has sent up 
several shoots, soil is mounded around the base of the 
shoots. They are rooted in this soil by fall and are sep¬ 
arated and set out the following spring. The original 
root cutting is allowed to remain for three or four years, 
producing a new crop of layers each year. Ry this meth¬ 
od uniform root-stocks of known parentage can be pro¬ 
duced as cheaply as seedlings. Pyrus ussuriensis, Myro- 
bolan and St. .Tulien plum and Mazzard cherry may be 
multiplied in this way. The ultimate goal would seem 
to be root-stocks that can be multiplied readily by hard¬ 
wood cuttings, as the Marianna plum and Le Conte pear, 
or by root cuttings, rather than by layers. 
True to Name. Quality in nursery stock means, more 
than all else, trees that are true to name. The fruit 
grower has two pet grievances that he is apt to air on 
all occasions—one is the sins of the commission man, the 
other is the sins of the nurseryman. I will not harrow 
your feelings by dwelling on any of the thousands of 
cases of misfit trees, and the losses they have entailed. 
It is peculiarly exasperating to bring an orchard into 
bearing, with high hopes and at great expense, only to 
find that the trees are mavericks, and worthless. I fear 
nurserymen, as a class, have not fully realized the human 
tragedies that may result from their blunders. We can 
forgive occasional mistakes, but not repeated blunders, 
due to persistent carelessness in business methods. I 
bring no indictment of dishonesty against the nursery 
industry, but I do assert that no business having as much 
to do w ith human happiness and prosperity has been as 
poorly organized to reduce mistakes to a minimum and 
assure satisfaction to the customer, ll is not that nur¬ 
serymen are dishonest, but that the nursery business has 
not been administered under reasonable safeguards. 
