The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-03-07
CAN UNITED STATES GROW OWN
FRUIT STOCKS is QUESTION NOW

soils of France and America, as we
as the soils of those two countries
have been blended-literally
The most notable instance of tn
incorporation Of American soil int
the soil of France was the takinl
to France Of several bar
rels of American earth il
which to bury the body of La
fayette, but French soil has been in
corporated into American soil il
literally millions of places Probably
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-greund portion Of your
fruit trees may be pure American,
but the underground portion is very
likely to be foreign. With the ex-
ception Of the apple and peach, most
of the seeding plants on which
grating or budding is done are inn
ported, and even with the apple con-
siderable progress has been made In
producing 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 deter
mined attention is turned toward
solution of the problem Of fruit
stock production in this country All
of the peach stocks are now "home"
grown from seeds produced in this
country
eve are beginning to appreciate
more and more" says one Of the
plant pathologists of the United
States department of agriculture,
"that our future successful fruit cul
ture is intimately associated with
the problem of stocks. With the ex-
ception of the grape, no far reaching
studies have been made on stocks in
this or any other country. We have
followed certain empirical prac-
tees in the past, but as competition
becomes greater and the demand for
The highest grades of fruit and
plant products increases, we must
know more af the actual relation of
stocks to quality of product, to the
ength of life of the trees or plant
o adaptability to soil and climate,
o resistance to disease and insect
attacks"
One Of the questions to be solved,
to the department. of agri-
.ulture, is the practicability of pro-
Iucing in this country the millions
# ordinary apple, pear, plum, and
herry stocks which hitherto have
,een secured largely abroad. An
ther need is the systematic study
f stocks with a view to their i'm
rovement and better adaDtability to
he wide variety of conditions and
eeds that exist here and that are
kelly to develop as the fruit indus
ry becomes more complex. If fruit
Industries are to be maintained, the
thinks it is imperative
hat there be available full supplies s
f the ordinary stocks, and it is de-
irable to find or develop stocks
nat may prevent some of the losses ,
,om insects and diseases.
"If stocks are to be produced in
lis country to take the place of
nose hitherto secured abroad the
.atement. continues, sit would seem
roper that efforts should be made
y the government to aid those who
re anxious to know where the work
an best be done and how it may be
one to the best advantage. The
roblems involved are so complex
lat private artists can not well
andle them. The chief problems
re to find regions and soils in this
,untry where stocks may be COM
ercially grown and to demonstrate
q a commercial scale that such
.ocks are equal to or better than
lose grown abroad. Correlated
ith the problem of commercial
.ock production is that of securing
,eds for stocks. There is need for
eveloping our home supplies This
long time proposition, as there
re few recognized sources of supply
ere. such as exist in Europe"