The Globe-republican., 1902-12-11
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Propagating from Bearing Trees.

tor of the Review desires reasons why
nurserymen should propagate only
from bearing tree1 of known fruit
ing ability A careful study of a bud
will show that the objection to proga-
eating through a long series of years
from young and INFESTED buds from
nursery rows is well founded. A bud
contains the life germ and perfect
embryo tree possessing the same vas
cular system of the tree plant upon
which it grows, and before modern in
vesugation proved the contrary it was
thought no variation ever took place
But we now know that a tree changes
its organism and becomes weak in
some parts and strong in other parts,
and that when these changes are eff
fected they are permanent as any
OF its characteristics.
When tree becomes unfruitfu1, its
fruit producing or seed organism is
weak in its buds, and the tree grow
ing out of these buds will possess these
weaknesses, repeated experiments
have shown. Take buds from a we'll
developed and very fruitful tree and
another from the nursery row, where
it has been propagated through a doz-
en- or more years from the young non
bearing wood In the first case you
will see a marked differ in the
wood growth. The tree will not look
SO smooth and straight the other,
but under good treatment it will come
into bearing much earlier and be much
more fruitful afterwards. The second
tree will grow smooth and straight
and look much nicer, but its growth
will be wood until late in its life or
until something is done to bring it
into bearing. Many nurserymen have
experimental and proven the correct
ness of the principle, but people want
cheap, large, straight, smooth barked
trees and insist on having them and
ind "a
sales cannot be effected at a price
which will justify the additional ex-
pense of maintaining orchard un-
der conditions to furnish the well-de-
veIoped gratis.
So long as the man who furnishes
the big, smooth tree at the smallest
price gets the order there is no induce
ment to make the change. The change,
however, is coming, and in the not dis
tant future every nurseryman will
have to give evidence that his trees
are not all wood, but that they have
| a fruit-producing organism developed
in them, SO we shall not have to wait
| ten years longer than necessary in or
| der that we may get returns for labor
and care Next week we will point out
some specific instances of such
| changes.-R. M. kellogg, Michigan
Are Apple Tree Roots Losing Vitality
| II. T. Thompson of Illinois says: In
| o1den times apple trees lived much
longer, were harder and more vigor
Gus than at the present time. It was
| no uncommon thing for trees to live
| from fifty to a hundred years, and
sometimes longer. Of late years, espe
| ciaIly in the western country, it is sci
dom you see an orchard over thirty
| years of age, and many give out il
| from ten to twenty years. There is un
Questionably cause for this. If we
can find the cause, we have taken the
| first step in learning how to propagate
| trees for the orchard. Any commun
| ity or individual who uses poor stool
to breed from will in time run his
| or their stock down so that they vii
| lack vitality and become, using com
| mon expression, a lot of scrubs Again
| any farmer who uses poor seed be
cause it is cheaper, will in time ru1
| his crop down his yield will be less
| poor in quality, less vigorous, and, il
fact, he is growing scrub grain. Tn.
| law of nature holds good through tn.
| animal and vegetable creation. II
| my opinion this is precisely what ha
| been done in propagating apple trees
| You are growing a lot of scrubs FIT,
| to seventy years ago trees were com
| parative1y healthy Sometimes w,
| heard of limbs or twigs being winter
killed, but very seldom heard of trou
| BILE with the roots. At the presen
| time three-fourths of all the trees tina
die do SO from root killing Man.
years ago horticu1turists commenced
| studying how to get harder tops. The,
| selected scions from the best ant
| hardest trees they could find; the,
even Tansacked Euro-e in search o
hard scioEs to improve the tops, unit
at last they have been fairly success
full Now seldom you hear of tops be
ing killed with frost. How has it beer
! with the root? Have they taken tn
same care as with the top to secur
| strong, vigorous roots2 Starting year
| ago with hardy root, it has gradual
| " lost vigor and vitality.
| Cheap Plants.
From Farmers Review: As rul
| buy cheap and you get cheap Thi
| same principle, I think, holds true il
| the nursery business. We often Sc
| strawberry plants quoted at very 1oy
| figure, and If purchased from thes
| parties are generally of a. low grade