64 NUT GROWING 



clature by speaking of this latter method as imme- 

 diate grafting, while the older method may be called 

 mediate grafting. Mediate grafting may continue 

 to be the chief method, but immediate grafting in 

 my experimental work promises to have a field of 

 its own. 



The textbooks describe budding and grafting as 

 separate subjects. This leads to some confusion. It 

 seems better to speak of scion grafting and bud 

 grafting, because budding is really a form of graft- 

 ing and the material in both instances is taken from 

 the same sort of cuttings. 



The time for cutting scions for mediate grafting 

 will depend much upon the climate of a locality. 

 In northern temperate regions we avoid the danger 

 of winter injury by making cuttings in late autumn, 

 but, on the other, this means more care in the win- 

 ter storage of scions. For the most part February 

 cutting is perhaps the most satisfactory. Cuttings 

 may be of any length from six inches up to several 

 feet, but for convenient handling cuttings one or 

 two feet in length are desirable. Very short cuttings 

 dry out more quickly than do the long ones, and a 

 whole limb in storage will remain in good condition 

 with less care than is required for a six-inch scion. 

 Short scions may be cut from such a limb at any 

 time when they are required. 



Selection oi scion material is very important. Vig- 

 orous shoots of the previous season's growth are 

 preferred as a rule. Sometimes, however, a rank 

 growth of pithy shoot is far less desirable than cut- 



