THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
25 
We have had perfect results from cording stock the same as trenching 
but we had to resort to artificial heat to hold the temperature up to 
above freezing. From our recent experience we have modified our 
views regarding the storage of stock, and now feel that stock can be 
corded and successfully carried through the winter, using shop waste 
or excelsior for packing among the roots, as well as it can be by trench¬ 
ing in sand, and by so doing very much less space is required to carry 
through the same amount of stock. 
We have digressed a little from the original question but as a num¬ 
ber expressed their views regarding storage stock, in your last issue, 
we presume you will not take it amiss in our giving you a little of our 
experience along that line. 
Monroe, Michigan. J. E. Ilgenfritz Sons Company. 
Correspondence. 
ROOT-GRAFTED VERSUS BUDDED TREES. 
Editor National Nurseryman. 
Dear Sir: —In your December number we notice your answer and 
explanation to a query of “ Root Grafted versus Budded Trees,” signed 
“W. N. C. Montgomery City, Mo.” We think it is a great mistake 
to consider whole root grafts to represent budded trees, as you mention 
“ whole root grafts which correspond to budded stock.” 
During the past year we have carefully noted that a block of 50,000 
two year whole root grafts was no better than a block of about the 
same number of piece root grafts, planted on similar ground near it, 
while a block of budded trees growing between the two were better 
by far in both root and branch. Our observations as a nursery firm 
had led us to condemn whole root trees as “a graft” used by agents 
to increase their sales, until about four years ago our attention was 
called to the merit of the budded apple over both the whole root and 
piece-root graft. Since this date we have been increasing our plant 
of budded apple and decreasing the grafts, until this year we grew 
over 200,000 budded apple trees. Again we note in your article that 
you say “the scion practically overrules the root in regard to form.” 
This does not hold true in a budded tree, as the seedling has grown 
one year and in this time has formed its root system before the bud 
is placed. Again you say, “ the union between the bud placed beneath 
the bark of the stock and that of the scion spliced to the stock is es¬ 
sentially the same,” We find this difference in the budded tree; 
the bud is set while the sap is flowing freely and becomes a part of the 
individual tree, so that a year later or any time after that by cutting 
or tearing the union apart, no sign of the union can be found. In 
short, the wood is clear, sound and healthy and the union complete, 
while in a grafted tree the splice never heals. New growth simply 
grows around it and leaves the original cuts of the knife, which in one 
year or any time afterwards you will find perfectly dead, and if at any 
time a bore or other insect should work their way into this place, the 
tree will begin to decay at this point. The dead spot in the center of 
the grafted tree is ever present waiting for air or water to complete 
the destruction. 
Now as to the tap root theory, this we think is a mistake and has 
very little to do with the merits of a tree. In handling thousands 
of both grafted and budded trees we see little difference in this regard. 
We believe that the great gain of the budded tree is in the fact that 
the seedling part under the ground is a natural root, and grows natural, 
throwing out a lower system of roots with feeders, while in addition to 
this it throws out a second upper system of brace or anchor roots which 
start out from the tree about even with the top of the ground and act 
as anchors to the tree. 
NOTE:—In our experience there is a great difference in the rooting 
habits of different varieties. Some root freely from the scion, while 
others do not. But if the scion is long and is planted deep, there are 
very few kind that will not emit roots from it. 
Both bud and scion unite in the same way—by cells arising from the 
cambium. If a splint of wood is left in the bud the same tiling 
occurs as when a scion is used—union takes place only around the 
edges. Ed. 
EXAMPLES OF BUD VARIATION. 
1 will give my experience as to the variation during the past forty 
years of three well known fruits. These are the Winesap apple, the 
Scuppernong grape vine and the Wilsons Albany strawberry. Forty 
years ago the Winesap apples grown in this neighborhood were co- 
paratively uniform in size and color. Since then a great many trees 
of this variety have been brought in and planted from widely separated 
nurseries in different parts of the United States. The result has been 
a wide variation in the size and color of the fruit. Probably this varia¬ 
tion has extended to the flavor and also to the shape of the apple, but 
of this I am not sure. I am only stating what I know to be positively 
true. 
Then as to the Scuppernong grape. A very few, if any, Scupper¬ 
nong grape vines have ever been brought into this neighborhood. It 
is fairly certain that nearly, if not all, of the many vines now fruiting 
here originated from .a few old vines growing in the neighborhood 
time out of mind, many of them certainly a century old. Still there 
is a variation in the size, quality and time of ripening of the fruit of 
different vines which is most striking. Some bear fruit fully twice 
as large as others and that when growing side by side. Some have 
thick hulls and some thin. Some ripen at the beginning of Septem¬ 
ber and some not until the last of October. Now it is barely possible 
that the most dissimilar vines may be seedlings. But this is extremely 
improbable, as according to my experience, when the scuppernong 
seed is planted it reverts to the black grape similar to the muscadine 
or bullace, the wild parent of the scuppernong. But even admitting 
that the widest variation is the result of vines grown from seed, there 
is still such a wide variation in the fruit of vines known to be grown 
from cuttings that it fully establishes the case in point. 
My experience with the Wilson’s Albany strawberry is still more 
conclusive. It amounts to absolute demonstration. Thirty-five 
years ago the Wilson’s Albany was the standard strawberry of this 
place as indeed it was of most of the country. It was a magnificent 
berry, large and productive, having but one defect. This defect was 
a tendency at the very last of the season to run small in size. About 
twenty years ago this tendency became so marked as to considerably 
impair the value of the fruit. Being loath to give up this fine old 
variety I set about to see if a strain of it could be found somewhere 
free from this growing defect. To this end I obtained plants from 
several different states and set them side by side with plants propa¬ 
gated here for fifteen or twenty years. As the plants grew off they 
were closely observed. There could not be a shadow of a doubt as 
to the identity of each. All were clearly Wilson’s Albany. In 
plant growth and in bloom they were identical. They were also iden¬ 
tical in berry at the start. But this identity did not hold. The ten¬ 
dency to dwindle in size was much more marked in some strains than 
in others. I found that the berries on the home strains of plants kept 
their size longer than any lot under test. They retained a good size 
for full ten days before beginning to run small. Some of the lots or 
strains of plants began to run small at the second or third picking. 
Some held out longer and then ran down to buck shot size. To repeat 
this variation in the tendency to run small was so marked that it 
amounted to the clearest and most unmistakable proof that a marked 
variation had arisen in the different strains of these strawberry plants. 
Now as to the practical bearing of bud variation. If established as 
true, it shows the necessity of propagating fruit trees and plants of 
all varieties from the very best parent trees or plants to be obtained. 
It shows that fruit trees grown from scions obtained from a tree noted 
for the quantity and excellence of its fruit is superior to one grown from 
an inferior tree, And of course the better the tree from which the 
scions are obtained the better the fruit may be expected to be. In 
this way can the fact of bud variation be made to improve the quality 
of every known variety of fruit. 
O. W. Blacknall. 
The National Nurseryman, 
. Rochester, N. Y. 
We enclose- herewith $1.00 for renewal to The National Nursery¬ 
man. We enjoy reading this paper very much and get many valuable 
ideas from the same. Wishing you a very successful year, we remain, 
^ Yours very truly, 
Osage, Iowa, The Gardner Nursery Co. 
