15 Nov., 1919.] 



Fear (hairing in Victoria. 



663 



5- 



Plate 29. — Rod or 

 single-stemmed pear- 

 tree, produced from 

 a base graft. 



are of equal or nearly equal diameter. In Plate 

 No. 27, the details of the operation are shown. 

 The end of the stock is cut off obliquely, and like- 

 wise the scion; they are then tongued as shown in 

 A. Care should be taken that all cuts are cleanly 

 made, wdth no ragged edges. 



After the wood has been prepared in the way 

 mentioned, the tongue in the scion is inserted 

 gently into the corresponding cut made in the 

 stock, care being taken that the respective barks 

 on one side at least are placed in direct contact 

 with each other, as shown in B. After^ the 

 junction is neatly made as described, a strip of 

 thin calico, about i inch wide, prepared with 

 grafting wax, and of sufficient length to cover the 

 cuts and exclude the air, is wrapped neatly round 

 the graft, as seen in C ; this completes the opera- 

 tion. 



Plate 'No. 28 depicts part of a stem section of a 

 pear tree about 40 years old which was originally 

 whip-grafted, an indication of which still remains 

 at the spot, marked A. The part B is the stock, 

 C the scion, and D the line of demarcation be- 

 tween stock and scion. The annular markings, 

 each one representing the annual growth of the 

 tree, may he clearly seen. Unfortunately, when 

 the writer obtained this specimen, the tree had 

 been badly mutilated, and thus only half the 

 diameter of the stem is shown. 



As pear seedlings cannot be relied upon to grow 

 miiformlv with clean, erect stems, discrimination 

 in the method of grafting will need to be con- 

 sidered. For instance, as a rule, few stocks 

 amongst the seedlings will be found to have clean 

 and erect stems, and this defect will preclude the 

 propagator from top-grafting them. Any of the 

 seedling?, however, that have the desired quality 

 for top-grafting, may be so worked from about 12 

 to 18 inches from the surface of the ground, at 

 which point the head or primary framework of 

 the tree will develop. 



The Rod or Single=stemmed Tree. 

 In cases where the seedlings are rough in the 

 stem and undesirable for top-grafting, it is better 

 to use the base-graft, or work them by budding. 

 By adopting either of these methods, a new stem 

 for the tree is created, and if allowed to grow 

 unchecked, is known as a rod or single-stemmed 

 tree. This form of tree is preferred by many 

 growers, as it may be shortened back after plant- 

 ing to any height desired, and thus unifonnity in 

 the heiffht of the stems of the trees is assured. 



