122 



MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



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T7,^^ TTgS " 77$.^ 



portion where the stem joins onto the root, and the bottom of the 

 root is cut away five or six inches below. For piece root-grafting- the 

 seedling stock is cut into lengths three to four inches long, the graft 

 always being placed on the upper end. The operation consists in 



taking the root and making a 

 sloping cut upward like the 

 mouthpiece to a whistle, an inch 

 to an inch and a half long; then 

 at the center cut a tongue down- 

 -e ward (Fig. 3.) A scion about the 

 same size aud three to fourinches 

 long is cut in the same way, ex- 

 cept that the slope is downward, 

 and it also has a tongue cut from 

 the center upward (Fig. 4.) The 

 two are now fitted together with 

 the tongues interlocking and 

 pressed together firmlj'^ with the 

 inner bark, at least on one side, 

 exactly joining, as in (Fig. 5.) The union being satisfactorily made, 

 they are bound together by winding a piece of the waxed paper or 

 cloth two or three times around, covering the junction closely — or 

 binding them together with the waxed cotton yarn (Fig. 6.) The 

 cloth or paper are most generally preferred to the yarn, as some- 

 times that does not rot and give way to the growth soon enough* 

 often causing partial strangulation and dwarfing of the root. 



These grafted stocks are then placed in boxes (each variety separ- 

 ately and correctly labeled) with sand or sandy earth among their 

 roots and kept in a cool cellar until spring opens and the soil is in 

 good condition for working, when they are usually set out in nursery 

 rows that are about four feet apart, and for best results should stand 

 sixteen to eighteen inches apart in the rows. They should be set 

 deep enough so that the junction will be below the surface level, 

 and usually but one bud of the scion is left above ground. Root- 

 grafting may be done any time between December and May if the 

 scions and stocks are kept dormant, but February is about the best 

 time for doing it. 



(To be continued in next No.) 



When apples bring $2.00 per bushel and wheat only about v^O cents, 

 when the expense of taking care of an acre of apple orchard is no 

 greater than that of an acre of wheat, while an apple orchard will 

 yield ten bushels of apples to one bushel of wheat, it is about time 

 fruit growers are opening their eyes and taking care of crops which 

 pay the largest profit. What is true of apples inay also be said of 

 other varieties of fruits. 



Starting Dahlias. — Dahlia roots should be started in damp moss, 

 sawdust or sand by covering and placing them in some warm situ- 

 ation, about one month before it is time to plant them out. By that 

 time the eyes will be started; then cut the tubers so that there will 

 be but a single eye to a piece. Should any more appear after plant- 

 ing out, remove them and never allow but a single stalk in one place. 



