GRAFTING AND BUDDING 



DR. GEORGE G. ATWOOD 



Chief, Bureau of Plant Industry, State Department of Agriculture, Albany, 



X. V. 



The practice of grafting is one of ancient origin, but the main 

 purpose to which it is applied is not materially different today from 

 that of early times. The chief object is to change seedlings or 

 useless stocks of trees to desirable or more valuable varieties. 



Very few seedling or natural trees produce valuable fruit, but 

 they can be used for unlimited propagation of choice varieties. 

 The scion holds within its buds the potential character of the new 

 top in variety of fruit, foliage, and hardiness. Even a scion of 

 u sweet fruit grafted 011 a stock always sour will bear fruit the 

 same as the scion used. 



TOP GRAFTING 



Top grafting, as distinguished from root or crown grafting, 

 refers to the practice of working over bearing trees for the pur- 

 pose of changing variety, increasing production, and hastening 

 bearing age. 



Top grafting is done only in the early spring. The scions to be 

 used should be cut, selected, and carefully stored before the 

 extreme cold of winter. Scions of the preceding summer's growth 

 are used. Choose only mature, well-ripened wood about % to % 

 inch in diameter, with prominent buds. Tie loosely in small 

 In indies with cord, and pack in old sawdust and sand. Scions 

 must be kept just moist enough to prevent shriveling, and should 

 be kept cool in order to delay starting or swelling of the buds. 



Very old or waning trees are usually not valuable for top-work- 

 ing. Only vigorous or healthy trees should be operated upon, 

 though large trees, if sound, may be changed over in two or three 

 years by grafting a part of the top each year, but this is primarily 

 a pruning problem and not essentially a grafting one. In top 

 grafting the splice or tongue graft (Fig. 282) is used when 

 the stock and scion are nearly the same size; but when the 

 stuck is considerably larger than the scion, then the cleft or wedge 

 plan (Fig. 283) should be adopted. In the latter, the stock is 



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