American Pomology. ApplesWarder, J. A. (John Aston)
Science
American Pomology. Apples
Warder, J. A. (John Aston)
Apples
Whole orchards are planted, in some sections of the country, with the
suckers from old trees; apples, pears, plums, and even peaches, as
well as raspberries and blackberries, are multiplied in this primitive
way. There are some varieties of apples that have been so propagated
for half a century, and extended for hundreds of miles in this way by
the pioneer emigrants, without ever having been grafted, until their
merits have at length accidentally become known to the Pomological
Societies and nurserymen, when the propagation of them by grafting
soon supercedes the more primitive method. Sucker trees are objected
to upon the grounds that they are not healthy and thrifty, that they
do not have good roots. Inherent disease of the parent tree will of
course be transmitted with its other peculiarities, but I cannot
imagine that this would be any more likely to occur in a sucker than
in a layer, or cutting, or graft. As to the roots, they may be more
developed upon one side than another in the young tree, and this state
of things may continue in the adult; we often observe the same
condition in the stumps of the monarchs of our forests, which were
never suspected in the day of their glory and pride of having such a
fault. But such a condition of roots is not essential to the sucker,
which may be made to have as fine a system of lateral roots, and as
evenly and regularly distributed as those of a seedling tree. Another
objection to this mode of propagation has much truth and some force;
that is, that suckers are very apt to produce suckers again. This is
particularly the case with the Morello cherry, which is a favorite
stock, upon which to work many of the choice varieties. As an offset
to this it may be urged, that the small fibrous roots, which are
supposed to conduce to early fruitfulness, abound in trees propagated
by this means, and this may be the reason why the fruit trees that
have been thus multiplied, are very generally remarkable for their
precocious fruiting. Some of the apples that have been long increased
in this manner, bear so early, and so bountifully, as to prevent them
from ever forming very large trees; they often have a stunted
appearance, and not infrequently present a peculiar inequality upon
the bark, portions being swollen or enlarged like warts--from which,
in some cases, it is easy to force out shoots or sprouts; they are
indeed true gemmules like those of the old olive trees, and like them
might be used for the propagation of the variety; a similar condition,
no doubt, exists in the roots, whence the tendency to sucker. The
common Morello cherry; the Damson; the Chickasas, and other varieties
of plum; the blackberry, and many raspberries, are multiplied almost
exclusively in a similar manner.
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