18 TREATISE ON 



the trees from which the grafts are to be taken must be identified and labeled during the 

 time that each one is fruiting. 



Branches intended for cleft & crown grafting should be straight, healthy, with 

 good-looking bark presenting attractive buds not too far apart from one another, wood of 

 the past year & of the year before that, and of moderate strength. (Stunted branches & 

 suckers are not suitable for any fruit tree grafts.) The branches must be collected in the 

 spring before the sap first begins to run, i.e. in January, February, or sooner. Their large 

 ends are buried two or three inches deep in the ground in a location facing north & 

 protected from the sun so that their sap doesn't begin to run before they are to be used. 

 They are covered during severe frosts, especially the ones from trees that bear fruit with 

 pits. Only shoots from the past year can be used, but since they're delicate & transpire 

 easily, one should avoid letting them dry out before they're joined to the stock. 



Bud grafts are taken from well-conditioned shoots from the last run of sap well 

 supplied with good buds & of moderate strength. Stunted & very frail branches must be 

 rejected, because it's difficult to lift bud grafts from them, and suckers as well because the 

 lower buds near where the branch starts are liable to be dormant, i.e. never open at all. 

 Others open up & form handsome shoots, but the trees that develop from them are 

 thought more likely to produce wood than fruit. 



To make bud shield grafts, the largest & best-shaped buds toward the middle of 

 the shoot are chosen. For peach & other trees that have simple buds, choose doubles, i.e. 

 a flower bud next to one for wood, & triples, i.e. a bud for wood between two flower 

 buds, or a flower bud between two for wood. Unless the flower buds will be nipped off, 

 these are preferable 



