836 



Popular Science Monthly 



^rj 



The portion of the grafted branch below the 

 lowest graft union is still living and laying on 

 wood rings annually. The graft has outdis- 

 tanced the mother tree and most of the 

 other trees of the locality in its growth 



The Cut Branch Did Not Die. It 

 Grafted Itself and Lives 



IN the accompanying illustration is 

 shown an unusual graft of two 

 branches of a white pine tree, now com- 

 pletely severed from each other at the 

 original point of union, but both still 

 in a thriving condition because of a num- 

 ber of graft-unions along the twin trunks. 

 The tree stands near Mont Alto, 

 Pennsylvania, where a large charcoal 

 iron furnace was formerly operated. In 

 1882 a laborer at the furnace was in- 

 jured, and in accordance with the then 

 prevalent belief, a companion laborer 

 immediately set out to procure a supply 

 of fresh white pine tree pitch with which 

 to treat the wound. He selected the 

 tree under discussion and cut therefrom 

 a number of large chips at a point about 

 three feet from the ground where the 

 tree divided into two branches. The 

 branch on the cut side of the tree was 

 not completely severed at the time of the 

 cutting, but in a few years the uncut 

 portion rotted out and thus severed the 

 one fork entirely from its original con- 

 nection. To the astonishment of all 

 who watched the development of this 

 unusual tree, the severed branch con- 

 tinued to live. Everyone, however, pre- 

 dicted that this apparent condition of 

 thrift could continue only for a short 

 time. On the contrary, the top of the 

 severed (dependent) branch, thirty-five 

 years after the original cutting, is now 

 growing more rapidly in height than the 

 rooted branch. The following figures " 

 show the annual height growth of both 

 branches during the past decade: 



Year 

 1916 



1915 

 1914 

 1913 

 1912 

 1911 

 I9IO 

 1909 

 1908 

 1907 



Total 131 91 



The portion below the lowest graft 

 union, which begins eight feet above 

 the free end and extends along it for 

 five feet four inches, is still living and 

 laying on a ring of wood each year down 

 to the point where the man's hand rests. 



