124 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



danger of drying out. The sides of the ridges should now be kept 

 loose by hoeing, and the ground between the rows pulverized by 

 frequent cultivation. 



Removal of Scion Roots. As soon as the roots on the stock have 

 started, the unions should be examined and all roots which have 

 started from the scions should be removed. This will be about the 

 beginning of July in the warmer districts, and about the end of that 

 month in the cooler. The exact time is determined by digging up 

 a few grafts in various parts of the nursery and examining the bases 

 of the stocks. If all have formed roots it is time to take off the 

 scion roots. 



The scion roots are useful to the graft in keeping the scion alive 

 and perfecting the union before the stock roots start, and they should, 

 therefore, not be removed too soon. The roots on the stock start later 

 because they are deeper in the soil, where the temperature is lower. 

 If the scion roots are allowed to grow too long, however, they take 

 the nourishment elaborated by the scion leaves and the stock roots 

 are starved. (See Fig. 22.) In this way we may get a large growth of 

 leaves on the scion and a small growth of roots on the stock. If we 

 remove the scion roots too late, therefore, the stock roots may be 

 insufficient to supply the large growth of leaves with the water they 

 need, and the graft will die. It is well, whenever particularly large 

 roots are cut off the scion, to cut back the shoot and to remove some 

 of the leaves. This diminishes evaporation and delays the growth of 

 the scion until the stock has developed sufficient roots to supply it 

 with the necessary water. 



Removal of Raffia and Suckers. At the same time that the scion 

 roots are removed, the tying material, raffia or string, should be cut 

 on all the grafts where it has not rotted. On the late grafts planted 

 directly in the nursery without previous callusing the raffia will not 

 require cutting if it has been used without bluestoning. The raffia 

 or other tying material should be entirely removed or the grafts will 

 be strangled. (See Fig. 23, 6.) 



If the stocks have been properly disbudded before grafting they 

 will produce very few suckers. Those which do grow should be 

 removed as soon as they show above the ground, and any that are 

 found when the scion roots are attended to should be carefully cut 

 off. To perform these various operations it is necessary to dig down 

 beside the grafts to below the union. After they are finished the 

 soil should be replaced, but the ridges are not made quite so high 

 as before. The unions should be covered up and any shoots which 

 are very white should be protected by drawing the soil up around 



