Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-04-11

fact. Mr.. DOnegan, of Troy, the best or
chardist in this section, said TO us last fall
" IT anybody doubts what you say to them
about the evil effect Of the crab stock upon
the fruit, send him to my orchard in apple
time and | will prove il to him in FIVE min.
utes." Cole, the best New England author
ity upon fruit growing, in his american
Fruit Book says ave have never read
various articles by any writer, nor conversed
much with an intelligent cultivator, who has
not acknowledged, directly or indirectly that
the stock affects the fruit of the scion. We
could quote numerous authorities and hun.
dreds Of cases showing that the stock affects
the fruit for better or for worse II aft.
fects the size, form, color quality, time of
ripening, production, time of bearing, year
Of bearing, and as to health and perfection,
or defects and decay" These views are, as
Mr.. Cole states, universal among intelligent
fruit growers, and indeed il is impossible to
have to do with orcharding for any number
of years without seeing the fact standing
out Enthusiastically among the different trees
Of each variety in the orchard.
The fact, then, that the stock does affect
the scion being admitted, land we believe
that no body, not even the advocates of the
crab stock, denies it,) the next question is
Ho,e does the crab stock affect the common
apple, ,chen grated upon it? This can be
answered only by observation and expert
ence and unfortunately there are no large
or old orchards of that kind in the country,
where the matter can be tested We must
mainly be guided by experience gathered
from experiments with common apples,
used both as stock and scion. And here we
find that stock producing hard, small,
harsh, sour or bitter fruit will generally
impart some or all those characteristics to
the fruit Of scions Of fine favored varieties
grated upon them. There arc differences in
this respect, some varieties being more east
ly affected, and to a greater degree, than
others. Some are utterly ruined, while 9TH
ers may look as well, while being more or
less damaged in their eating qualities. But
what can we say Of the policy of adopting,
as a universal stock for all varieties, spe-
cies that erceeds eUery other for SourneSS,
hardness, bitterness, and aStringency 2
There ought certinly to be very strong cOun.
terbalancing advantages, to induce such a
course. But we have shown, not only that
no such advantages exist, but that there are
many other disadvantages. 1t would seem
that this ought to be conclusive, to any in-
telligent mind, against the policy Of setting
an orchard from trees grated upon Siberian
stocks.
To conclude we see not one single ben.
eft in using the Siberian stock for our or.
chard trees, while we see many and most co,
gent objections to the practice. That it is
totally unnecessary is witnessed and proved
in every good orchard in northern Vermont
and Canada. There are places where it i:
too cold to grow the common apple, and
where the Siberian will succeed, but in these
cases it is equally useless to attempt to grow
the common apple on the crab root. In such
localities it is not the root but the top that
yields to the climate the root often surviv,
ing and sending up sprouts, long after the
top is killed. Last, and most conclusive o.
all, that variety of the common apple which
is everywhere acknowledged to equal or ex
coed the Siberian in hardness, the Duches.
Of Oldenburgh, variety raised successfully
as far north as any crab, cannot be got t.
grow and make tree upon the crab root al
all. We leave these facts to the considera
ton Of our readers and hereafter, if they
find our views confirmed by their own expe.
rience, they will at least have the satisfac
ton of knowing that they were duly warned
Of the risk.