﻿79 
  

  

  THE 
  BENCH 
  ROOT-GRAFTING 
  OF 
  PERSIAN 
  WALNUTS 
  

  

  AND 
  PECANS. 
  

  

  By 
  C. 
  p. 
  Close, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Dept. 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  of 
  my 
  bench 
  root-grafting 
  of 
  Persian 
  walnuts 
  and 
  

   pecans 
  at 
  the 
  ]\Iaryland 
  Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  Station 
  in 
  1911 
  were 
  

   not 
  as 
  satisfactory 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  wished, 
  partly 
  owing, 
  at 
  least, 
  to 
  the 
  

   unusually 
  long 
  and 
  hot 
  drought 
  which 
  was 
  disastrous 
  in 
  many 
  respects 
  

   in 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  purpose 
  and 
  method 
  of 
  the 
  experiment. 
  

  

  The 
  purpose 
  of 
  this 
  experimental 
  work 
  was 
  to 
  devise 
  some 
  method 
  

   of 
  procedure 
  in 
  the 
  bench 
  grafting 
  of 
  nut 
  trees 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  reliable 
  

   and 
  practical, 
  especially 
  if 
  done 
  during 
  January, 
  February, 
  and 
  March. 
  

   The 
  whip 
  or 
  tongue 
  method 
  with 
  variation 
  in 
  thinness 
  of 
  tongue 
  to 
  

   make 
  closely 
  fitting 
  unions, 
  was 
  employed. 
  For 
  the 
  Persian 
  walnut 
  

   cions, 
  black 
  walnut, 
  butternut 
  and 
  Persian 
  walnut 
  roots 
  were 
  used, 
  

   and 
  for 
  the 
  pecan 
  cions, 
  hardy 
  Indiana 
  and 
  ordinary 
  southern 
  pecan 
  

   seedlings, 
  whole 
  root 
  and 
  piece 
  root, 
  were 
  used. 
  Part 
  of 
  the 
  grafts 
  were 
  

   planted 
  outdoors 
  in 
  nursery 
  rows 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  made 
  and 
  part 
  were 
  placed 
  

   in 
  soil 
  or 
  decayed 
  sawdust 
  in 
  a 
  cool 
  greenhouse. 
  This 
  was 
  for 
  the 
  pur- 
  

   pose 
  of 
  determining 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  it 
  would 
  prove 
  advantageous 
  to 
  go 
  

   to 
  the 
  extra 
  expense 
  and 
  trouble 
  of 
  placing 
  the 
  grafts 
  under 
  greenhouse 
  

   conditions 
  until 
  April 
  or 
  May. 
  Ground 
  beds 
  were 
  used 
  and 
  thus 
  bottom 
  

   heat 
  was 
  not 
  applied. 
  

  

  PERSIAN 
  WALNUTS. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  287 
  grafts 
  of 
  San 
  Jose, 
  Concord 
  and 
  Franquette 
  Per- 
  

   sian 
  walnuts, 
  made 
  from 
  February 
  15 
  to 
  April 
  4, 
  which 
  were 
  planted 
  

   in 
  nursery 
  rows 
  very 
  soon 
  after 
  being 
  made. 
  Only 
  40 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  

   alive 
  in 
  October, 
  the 
  best 
  results 
  being 
  obtained 
  with 
  San 
  Jose 
  on 
  black 
  

   walnut 
  stocks. 
  Sixty-four 
  walnut 
  grafts 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  decayed 
  saw- 
  

   dust 
  in 
  the 
  greenhouse 
  in 
  February 
  and 
  March 
  and 
  of 
  these 
  22 
  were 
  

   alive 
  early 
  in 
  ]\Iay 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  taken 
  out. 
  

  

  PECANS. 
  

  

  The 
  pecan 
  grafts, 
  set 
  in 
  nursery 
  rows 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  made, 
  numbered 
  

   474 
  and 
  consisted 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  varieties: 
  ]\Iantura, 
  Appomattox, 
  

   Frotscher, 
  Moneymaker, 
  Van 
  Deman, 
  Stuart, 
  and 
  Pabst. 
  Only 
  one 
  of 
  

   these, 
  a 
  Pabst 
  on 
  a 
  piece 
  root, 
  lived 
  during 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  grafts 
  which 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  greenhouse 
  gave 
  pretty 
  good 
  

   results 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  data 
  given 
  respectively 
  under 
  the 
  

   headings 
  "Earth 
  Bed" 
  and 
  "Decayed 
  Sawdust." 
  

  

  