78 THE NUT CULTUKIST. 



be employed with benefit. All the various forms of 

 grafting in the open air, as described in my work on the 

 "Propagation of Plants," may be employed on the 

 chestnut, but the two here given will probably answer 

 just as well as others for those who may have occasion to 

 propagate this tree. 



Success in Grafting. — The question has been 

 asked many times, and will, no doubt, be frequently 

 repeated, "What percentage of cions should one accus- 

 tomed to grafting make grow ?" As there are no statis- 

 tics upon which to base an answer to the question, I can. 

 only give my own personal experience, and this leads me 

 to say that seventy-five per cent may be considered an 

 excellent, if not a high average. In some seasons this 

 has been exceeded by at least ten per cent, while in 

 others it has fallen as much or more below, with no 

 apparent reason for the difference. Ninety-five per cent 

 of the cions may push their buds, or even make a growth 

 of several inches, then begin to die off; consequently, 

 the time to count your successfully grafted trees is in 

 the autumn, and not in spring or midsummer, as it is to 

 be feared some are in the habit of doing when making a 

 report upon what they call success in grafting nut trees. 



Growth of Cions. — Cions set in strong stocks 

 usually make a very rapid and vigorous growth, and if 

 left unchecked, there is danger of loss by being broken 

 or blown ofE by strong winds during the summer and 

 autumn. To prevent this as much as possible, it has 

 been my practice to pinch off the ends of the young 

 shoots when they^re about two feet long. Lateral 

 shoots will then push out freely, and in some seasons it 

 may be necessary to check their growth in the same way 

 later. On feeble stocks, or those quite small, and with 

 the less vigorous growing varieties, no summer pinching 

 or pruning will be required. My experimental grounds 

 are well protected upon the north and west, not only by 



