THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
289 
Correspondence 
SHOULD NURSERYMEN CUT ONLY FROM CAREFULLY 
SELECTED SCIONS 
Editor National Nurseryman: 
It is, I believe, a well established physiological principal 
that those plants propagated by means of seed, vary much 
more than those propagated from cuttings, and that selec¬ 
tion plays a much greater part, in the former, in keeping 
the variety fixed, etc. 
However, I believe it is also recognized that selection 
should play an important part in keeping varieties up to a 
fixed standard, and even in improving the standard where 
plants are propagated exclusively from cuttings. This 
would appear to be true with the potato, for instance. 
It has been the custom of many nurserymen to cut 
propagating wood from the nursery row. The trees in the 
nursery being well cultivated, manured, etc., grow very 
rapidly, and also very late in the season. Because of their 
rapid and late growth, and the fact that the soil is not al¬ 
ways given all the elements of fertility that are necessary 
to fully mature the wood, the scions from such trees would 
not be as well matured as scions taken under the best condi¬ 
tions from bearing trees. I have known in some cases where 
scions were cut continuously from the nursery row for a 
period of perhaps 25 years. 
Will those who are informed and interested be so kind as 
to state their opinion on the following: 
1st. Whether scions taken from the nursery row, as 
suggested above, would have a tendency to cause the trees 
grown from them to come into bearing later, or in any way 
affect their general fruitfulness? 
2d. Would cuttings from apple trees, for instance, that 
came into bearing their 7th year and continued to bear 
annually thereafter, be more likely to produce trees that 
would bear well, than trees grown from scions taken from 
the nursery row, as mentioned above, or from trees that 
had reached their 20th year without bearing good crops? 
3d. Would it be desirable for a fruit grower to cut scions 
from his apple trees and propagate trees from them for his 
own planting, or have a responsible nurseryman to pro¬ 
pagate them for him? 
4th. Would it be important for nurserymen to grow 
and care for a scion orchard in the most approved manner, 
so that it will bear annually and well, mainly as a source of 
propagating wood? 
If nurserymen can find time to give me an opinion on 
the above I assure you it will be appreciated greatly. 
Atlantic States J- P- 
The National Nurseryman: 
Please find enclosed check for $1.00 for subscription to 
your paper which we appreciate very much. 
Yours truly, 
Ohio. Archie .'Merriman 
Quiz Column 
ORCHARDING IN EASTERN NEW YORK 
I should like to know especially as regards Eastern New 
York, as follows: 
1st. At what age, or about what age, do fruit trees 
there begin bearing? 
2d. At what.age, or about what age, can they be ex¬ 
pected to begin bearing paying crops? 
3d. What is the profitable, productive lifetime of an 
orchard ? 
4th. What proportion of “off years” are there as com¬ 
pared with good bearing years? 
5th. What number of trees are best planted to the acre 
there without crowding? 
6th. I am somewhat conversant with the labor problem 
in the east. I have thought that, in the event of going into 
orcharding near New York city—by going to the Italian 
Consul and Italian priests in the city I might be able to get 
hold of a desirable class of Italians to work for me—or is 
their skill in fruit matters confined to the push-cart end of 
the business? Is this idea practicable in your judgment? 
7th. What class, kind or type of lands should I look at 
as being especially suitable for fruit growing? 
So far as you can without inconvenience, answer fore¬ 
going inquiries—I wish greatly that you would. I shall be 
under very great obligations to you for doing so. 
E. H. R. 
ANSWER 
1. Winter apples bear at seven to nine years of age in 
Eastern New Y'ork. Summer apples of the type of Duchess 
and Yellow Transparent may bear at four or five years of 
age, and even give specimens before that time. 
2. All winter varieties of apples under modern systems 
of management should give paying crops at or prior to ten 
years of age. 
3. Throughout apple growing New York, apple trees 
should not reach their maximum period of productivity be¬ 
fore half a century, and should continue in bearing at least 
one hundred years. This all presupposes rational methods 
of orchard management. 
4. Off or barren years caused by climatic vagaries in 
apple growing are rather unusual in New York. I should 
say that they do not occur oftener than once in five or six 
years. They do occur however oftener than that due to 
faulty management.' 
5. I would plant my permanent trees forty to forty-five 
feet apart and interplant with fillers till the rows are half 
this distance apart. 
6. I should think that your method of dealing with the 
labor problem was a reasonably promising one to try. 
7. Do not choose valley lands or especially rich soil tor 
your orchard. Select elevated, airy, well-drained land 
which will not wash too much, and thus your task of pro¬ 
ducing the highest quality of fruit will be very much aided. 
Editor 
