GRAFTING 103 



scale buds belonging to an annual ring have been 

 chosen by some nut tree grafters on the theory that 

 these would not start until union of stock and scion 

 was well advanced. Scions of this sort may be used, 

 the only objection being the need for persistent re- 

 moval of natural shoots of the stock which will start 

 off a long time in advance of tiny scale buds. Bud 

 sticks for immediate grafting in summer should have 

 all leaves cut off, leaving only the base of the petiole 

 behind and as little of that as possible. For imme- 

 diate grafting almost all of the herbaceous growth 

 of the year should be cut away unless it is well lig- 

 nified and pigmented. Herbaceous plants like the 

 potato and tomato are readily grafted one upon the 

 other. This being the case, we may eventually de- 

 velop principles which will allow us to graft green 

 growing shoots from one tree to another in the nut 

 tree group. In experimental work with immediate 

 grafting in summer the scions consisted chiefly of 

 the previous year's wood together with some of the 

 herbaceous wood of the year remaining attached, but 

 so far the scions have expressed a preference for 

 starting growth from latent buds in the old wood 

 rather than for a continuance of growth from the 

 herbaceous part of the scion. None of my grafting 

 of the herbaceous growth of the year has succeeded 

 as yet excepting with the most mature scions. 



When a scion of chosen length is to be cut from 

 the bud stick, shaping of the scion is next in order. 

 It is to be trimmed full wedge shape for a cleft graft 

 or modified wedge shape for a bark slot graft, the 



