34 



PRODUCTIVE FARMING 



Third. — The actual work of grafting the tops of the 

 desired varieties onto the roots of the young seedlings is to 

 be done during the winter months. This work is done in 

 the cool cellar and the little grafted trees are then tied into 

 bundles and stored until warm spring weather. 



Fourth. — The little trees are set in good rich garden soil, 

 deep enough to cover the union or grafted point well. The top 

 of the plant with a bud or two will be above the surface of the 

 ground. The dirt should be well tramped around the grafts. 

 Details of Root=grafting. — The tops are cut from the 

 young seedling trees and destroyed. The top-shoots from 

 good trees are inserted upon the roots in their place. The 

 new tops are called scions. They may be only a few inches 

 long and contain from three to six buds. The roots may be 



either used entire for each new 

 tree; or they may be cut into 

 pieces four to six inches long, 

 and a graft made on each piece. 

 Whip or Tongue Graft. — The 

 kind of graft or union to make 

 for apple root grafts is the one 

 that is known by nurserymen 

 as the tongue or whip graft. 

 This is shown in Fig. 16; A 

 represents the upper end of the 

 piece of root cut so that there 

 is a tongue ready to slip be- 

 neath a similar tongue made in 

 the scion, shown at B. As 

 soon as cut they are slipped 

 together very firmly, as shown 

 at C. Now a piece of waxed knitting cotton is wrapped 

 about the grafted portion to hold the parts snugly together. 

 It is necessary to have the root and scion of the same 

 diameter or nearly so. The cambium, or growing layer, is 



Fig. 16. — Steps in root-grafting 

 of apples. A, the small root tongue 

 cut; B, the scion with tongue cut; 

 C, the two in place ready to tie with 

 woven cotton. 



