190 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
ington, Minnesota, Iowa and Pennsylvania. May I say 
that we are growing blocks of apple, seedlings from all 
of these sections so that we can study the comparative 
growth of l lie seedlings, the vigor of the roots and other 
characters. We hope to continue this phase of the work 
for several years. 
There is no question in my mind but that we can raise 
stocks in this country. It seems to me the thing for us 
to center our attack on is the producing of a better stock 
than we have been in the habit of importing. 
I am pleased to state that a good many nurserymen are 
experimenting in different forms of propagation. A typ¬ 
ical example is Mr. J. H. Skinner of Topeka, Ivans., a 
grower of apple seedlings of long experience who has 
demonstrated conclusively that certain plum varieties 
can be propagated easily by layering and is now experi¬ 
menting with apples and quinces. Everywhere I have 
found the nurserymen very frank to discuss what they 
were doing. Not one greeted me with the old bugaboo 
of “Trade Secret.” 
As I have indicated, the attitude of the nurserymen 
towards the Department investigations is very friendly. 
As an example of the close cooperation between this As¬ 
sociation and the Department, your President some time 
ago appointed an Advisory Committee from this Associa¬ 
tion to confer with the departmental project leader from 
time to time. The Committee includes J. H. Skinner^ 
Topeka, Kans., Chairman; H. II. Hume, Glen Saint Mary, 
Fla.; Robt. Chase, Chase, Ala.; Tom Rogers, Winfield, 
Kans.; Homer Reed, Louisiana, Mo.; Tlios. Wiggins, Top- 
penish, Wash.; and J. F. Jones, Lancaster, Pa. 
I feel very sure that this Committee will be able to of¬ 
fer suggestions and that they will also serve as the con¬ 
necting link between the Department and the nursery¬ 
men of the country 
As a result of this trip, we are now confirmed in the 
idea which we had the first of the year and that is that 
one of the outstanding problems confronting the country 
is the improving of apple stocks. 
In Wisconsin, Minnesota, northern Iowa, Nebraska 
and the Great Plains area a hardier stock is desired. In 
the Southern States and in fact all over the country a 
stock which is immune to woolly aphis, crown gall and 
hairy root is needed. 
We therefore believe that with our present limited ap¬ 
propriation it will be better for us to confine the bulk of 
our work to apple stocks and keep in touch with the other 
fruit and ornamental stocks rather than attempt to 
spread over the entire field and probably accomplish 
nothing. I therefore wish to outline very briefly a few 
of the things we are trying to do with apples: 
(1) As pointed out a while ago, we are securing defin¬ 
ite information regarding the comparative growth of 
American seedlings from different sections of the United 
States and comparing them with French-grown stock. 
(-■ T* the French Grab is the stock we want, then what 
variety? In order to settle the question, if possible, we 
are raising seedlings from a number of named French 
Crab varieties. 
(3) Last year Prof. Corbett and Mr. Yerkes raised a 
number of open pollinated seedlings from 20 or more 
commercial varieties of apples. The difference in the 
behavior of these seedlings, their susceptibility and in¬ 
sistence to crown gall and hairy root was very marked. 
In fact tiff results were so striking that we have extend¬ 
ed the work this year on a much longer basis and are in¬ 
cluding both open-pollinated and self-pollinated seed¬ 
lings of a number of varieties. 
Seedlings of many of the southern varieties should be 
given a thorough test and if one is found with outstand¬ 
ing characteristics, a mother orchard can be developed 
from it. This phase of the work represents a life time 
proposition, but it must be carried on. 
Next comes the question of vegetative propagation of 
stocks. Of course you all know that the Garber and 
Kieffer and some other varieties of pear used to be prop¬ 
agated by hardwood cuttings and that quince is now be¬ 
ing handled in this way by at least two firms, while 
others are propagating quince by layering. One firm 
experimented this year in raising Mahalebs from stool 
plants, another from hardwood cuttings under glass. I 
referred to Mr. Skinner’s method of layering with year¬ 
ling trees. 
Another method which we are particularly interested 
in is the propagation by root cuttings. We have had 
very good success using this method; lining out the cut¬ 
tings in April. We only worked with French Crab, Ver¬ 
mont Crab and Minnesota Crab using cuttings made from 
seedling roots. With some we secured over 90 per cent 
ol a stand. Probably the best results were secured with 
cuttings 2 to 3 inches long and % in. to Vi in. in diam¬ 
eter. I found that one nursery in the West had used 
this method when seedlings were high priced and have 
raised some of their budding stock for apples and pears 
from cuttings. 
Another nursery in Minnesota has propagated a cherry 
variety by this method, so it is within the range of com¬ 
mercial possibility. 
This fall we hope to visit a number of nurseries at dig¬ 
ging time and purchase a number of trees of 20 or more 
apple varieties preferably those which have been propa¬ 
gated by the short-stock-long-scion method of. propaga¬ 
tion and have developed their own roots along the graft 
and use these trees for our cutting studies. It is barely 
possible that this method of propagation by root cuttings 
may prove a practical way of propagating hardy varie¬ 
ties on their own roots. We may be able to report on 
this practice next year. 
Do not misunderstand me that we are confining all of 
our activities to apples. We are giving our major atten¬ 
tion to this stock, but we are also carrying on some prop¬ 
agating studies with cherry, plum and peach stocks, and 
in our esimates for the fiscal year 1922, we are asking 
loi a special item so that we can begin a comprehensive 
study of rose stocks in a number of localities. 
In conclusion, let me say that I have simply outlined 
a few of the things we are trying to do. We do not an¬ 
ticipate that we will revolutionize the nursery industry, 
but we do hope with your active cooperation that we may 
be able to secure some definite information that may be 
ol interest, and possibly from time to time may be able 
to leport on certain phases of our work that may be of 
value. 
