THE CANADIAN TTOT^T 1 C TM>'r l" R I ST 



March, toi:; 



An inexpensive, easily operated spraying machine suitable for use in small orchards.— The E. C. 



Brown Co., Rochester, N.Y. 



man, or the old man either, who Ls mak- no.se down to the grindstone. With 

 ing a start at farming. He believes capital to start he believes farming to 

 that without it a man must keep his be the choicest of all occupations. 



Fruit Tree Grafting for the Amateur 



John Gall, Inglewood, Ont. 



GRAFTING is usually performed in 

 the spring, about the end of March 

 or earlier if there are signs of 

 spring influence. Grafting is simply the 

 transfer of a shoot carrying several buds, 

 from one tree to another; and this opera- 

 tion may be performed by the amateur 

 with ease if only a little care is exercised. 



riiere can be no question as to the 

 utility of grafting, for by its aid a poor 

 class of apple or pear may be trans- 

 formed into one which is good. 



The first point in successful grafting 

 is to secure an intimate union of the 

 parts — not a mere sticking together, but 

 an absolute union. 



In all methods of grafting the shoot 

 to be transferred is called the scion, and 

 the tree which is to receive it is called 

 the stock. It is of the utmost import- 

 ance, when cutting scions, to select only 

 from trees which \\-avc the desirable 

 characteristics most strongly marked, 

 and by .so doing the individual may 

 greatly iinproxc his plantation by top- 



grafting with scions from a tree having 

 the desired qualities. 



It is essential that the cambium layer — 

 that is, a layer of tissue formed between 

 the wood and the bark — of the scion and 

 stock be in contact on at least one side. 

 F'rom this layer, .the new cells are form- 

 ed, which through time unite the parts 

 and cover the wound. It is always ne- 

 cessary to cover the wounds made by 

 grafting to pr<'vont the entrance of rot- 



B 



A. Tong-ue grafting, scion and stock prepared. 

 B. Same placed together. 0. Tied. 



producing spores, and for this pur|K>se 

 wax is used. 



There arc two simple methods of top- 

 grafting, namely, tongue and cleft graft- 

 ing. Tongue grafting is practised upon 

 young trees and small branches, while 

 cleft grafting is generally performed on 

 branches from one to two inches in dia- 

 meter. In tongue grafting the stock is 

 <-ut with a bevel alxnit one inch long, 

 and the scion cut to fit that tx:\cl. Both 

 bevels are out into slightly and the 

 tongue of one fitted into the other. The 

 cambium layers must be in contact on 

 one side at least. .After the scion is set, 

 the wound should Ix; covered over with 

 wax to exclude the air. 



When cutting off large branclK's for 

 (left grafting, it is always a good idea 

 to make a second cut, making the first 

 cut five or six inches above the position 

 chosen for the scion. Then cut off the 

 remainder at the desired place, and thus 

 avoid the danger of tearing the bark. 



1 I ' 



.\. C'eft grafting, splitting tile stock. B. Scion. 



C. Scion inserted in cleft of stock. D. Grafting. 



chisel made from an old blacksmith's file. 



^^'ith a grafting iron or chisel split the 

 branch just far enough to admit the 

 scions, .\void making too deep a split, 

 as this tends to weaken the stock, and 

 the scions will not be held sufficiently 

 firm. It is well not to graft two hori- 

 zontal limbs, one directly above the 

 other, as the tendency of new growths 

 is upward, and the growth from the 

 lower one will come in contact and in- 

 terfere with the other. In branches 

 other than those growing directly upright 

 the split should Ix; made parallel to, rather- 

 than at right angles to, the ground. The 

 scion should l>e made wedge-shaped, with 

 bevel about one inch long, starting at 

 each side just at the base of a bud. Make 

 the scion three buds long, cutting off 

 just ;ilx>ve the third bud. It should be 

 cut a little thicker on the side next to 

 the bud, so that the stock may pinch 

 tightly on that side to ensure a close 

 contact of the cambium layers. 



Open the cleft with the wedge end of 

 the grafting chisel and in.sert one or two 

 s<-ions, as may be thought necessary. 

 Place the lower bud of the scion to the 

 outside. The scion must not be forced 

 down, but open the cleft with enough 

 leverage on the chi.sel to admit the scion 

 freely. Setting the .scion with the top 

 pointing slightly outward guarantees 

 contact in at least one point. Use graft- 

 ing wax to cover all wounds. 



