The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-07-09
A QUESTION.
Can the United States Grow Its Own
Fruit Stock.

The soils of France and America, as
well as the souls of those two countries,
has been blended Literally.
The most notable instance .of the in.
corporation of American soil iAto the soil
of France was the taking to- France of
several barrels Of American earth in which
TO bury the body Of Lafayette, put French
soil has been incorporated into American
soil in literally millions Of places. Prob
ably every county in the United States
has its admixture Of French dirt, and it
is scarcely too much to say that some
particles of it have found their way to
practically every farm throughout the
length and breadth of the country.
How did it come? On fruit stocks.
The above ground portion of your fruit
trees may be pure American. but the I'M
derground portion is very likely to he
foreign With the exception OF the aD-
pie and peach, most Of the seeding plants
ON which grating or budding is done are
imported, and even with the apple consid-
cradle progress has been made IN pro
duclng American-grown seedlings. From
imported French seed many nurserymen
have thus far preferred to import apple
seedlings from France and to pay more
for them. just now, however, rather de
termned attention is turned toward a
solution of the problem of irult-stock
production IN this country. All of the
peach stocks are now "home" grown from
seeds produced in this country.
I'VE are beginning to appreciate more
and more" says one of the plant pathol-
ogists Of the United States department of
agriculture, that our future successful
fruit culture is intimately associated with
the problem of stocks With the exccp-
tion Of the grape, no far-rcaching studies
have been made on stocks in this or any
other country We have followed certain
empirical practices in the past, but as
competition becomes greater and the de
mand for the highest grades of fruit and
plant products increases we must know
more and more Of the actual relation oil
stocks to quality Of product, to the length
of life of the tree or plant, to adaptable
ty to soil and climate. TO resistance tc
disease and insect attacks"
One of the questions to be solved. &C
cording to the department of agriculture
is the practicability of producing in thi!
country the millions of ordinary apple
pear, plum and cherry stocks which hith
etto have been secured Largely abroad
hhObHtA Htcu ~ tllt AASl.iHdblC STUDY q
stocks with a view TO their improvement
and better adaptability to the wide vari
ETY. of conditions and needs that exis
here and that are likely To develop q
the fruit industry becomes more complex
il fruit industries are TO be maintained
the department thinks it is imperativ
that there be available full supplies q
the ordinary stocks, and it is desirlbl
TO find or develop stocks that NAV pre-
vent some of the losses from insects an
diseases
"If stocks are t. be produced in thi
country to take the place Of those hithel
to secured abroad" tie statement cor
tinues. st would seem proper tAat effort
should be made by the government t
aid those who are anxious to know whcr
the work can best be dore and how
may be done to the best advantage Tn
problems involved are so complex tia
private interests con not well handle then
The chief problems are tn find Ieror
and soils in this country whore stool
may be commercially grown and to den
onstrate on a commercial scale that sue
stocks are equal to or better than thoS
Pr9wn abroad Correlated with the prol
lem Of commercial stock production
that Of securing seeds for stocks. Thel
is need for developing our home supple
This is a long time proposition, as thei
are few recognizel sources oF supply her
euch as exist in Europe Burlingtc
Free Press.