The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1904-05-15


fected with disease. The Ohio nursery
sharper is simply trying to make sale
of a lot of his trees, and to pave the
way, perhaps, for sales to others who
might hear of the owner of this or
chard making such change as he is
being advised to make. Root-grafted
trees are very good. l have planted
many of them and carried them to ma
ture age with excellent results, and
the same is true of millions more of
such trees"
Some years ago that veteran in hor-
ticulture, Prof. J. l.. Budd, of Iowa,
was written to as to the value OF what
are called piece root CRAFTS and whole
root gratis He replied that the so
called whole root CRAFTS were being
worked for commercial purposes and
the claims put forth by certain nursery
men had nothing in them but this
This raised a howl from certain men
who were hit, so the matter was taken
up and the views of leading horticul-
turists of the United States were Sc
cured. The result was that this fad
got a black eye. The consensus OF the
testimony of these leading horticul-
turists was that the best tree is Sc
cured where you use long scion and
a short piece of root. Set the graft
down six inches or more and then you
raise a tree on it's own roots. The
piece of root simply nourishes the
scion till it gets started. The buds on
the scion below the ground will all
make roots. When the tree is trans
planted to the orchard, the piece OF
root may be cut off without any injury
to the tree. Some of our nursery men
say that an apple tree should be prop
agated by budding Seeding, other
wise the tree will have no tap root!
Mirabile dictu! Apple trees do not
belong to the class of trees having
tap roots. HickOries, oaks, Walnuts
and persimmons have tap roots. Any
man who talks about an apple tree
having a tap root exposes his ignor-
ance. Dig up an apple tree twenty
years old and get piece OF the tap
root two feet under the ground and it
will be worth million dollars, for it
will cure every person in the world
having consumption
| sent to Stark Bros. few years ago
for some of their whole root gratis.
And when they came on they were not
whole root CRAFTS at all. The root was
simply the top cut from Seeding, and
not one of them was four inches long.
The next piece of the Seeding root
would grow a graft somewhat better
than the top cut, for it has more starch
in it.
The irrigation commission appoint
ed by Gov. Mcbride seems to be pur-
suing a wise course. They called to
to their assistance Prof. Elwood Mead,
of California, and Prof. Waller, of Pull
man, Wash. These are experts in the
employ of the department of agricul-
ture and their testimony is worth more
than that of all the politicians of the
state. There is danger of the water
supply of our state falling into the
hands of spectators who want to-
work the people for all that is in it.
Let the government own the water
supply and let the laws of the state
protect the users of water. The farm
ers of Yakima county are very anxious
about this matter. Recently at coun-
ty convention the following resolution
was adopted: "In the interest OF the
consumers of water we favor the en-
actment of such laws as will secure to
l. 4l~s.. TO- Anf