XII 

 THE PLEASANT ART OF GRAFTING 



If I procure cuttings of a good apple, what shall I 

 do with them that they may give me of their fruitage? 



The cuttings will probably be dormant twigs of the 

 last season's growth. They may not be expected to grow 

 when placed in the ground. They are therefore planted 

 in another tree, becoming cions. The case is in no way 

 different in principle from the propagating of the young 

 tree in the nursery, of which we already have learned. 

 The nurseryman works with a small stock, a mere slip of 

 a seedling one or two years old. The grower would 

 better not attempt the making of nursery trees. It is 

 better for him to purchase regular nursery trees and to 

 graft the cions on them ; or he may put the cions in any 

 older tree that is available. 



I have spoken of my own collecting of certain dessert 

 apples. I "worked" them on young Northern Spy trees, 

 purchased when two or three years old ; they were grafted 

 after they had stood a year in the orchard. These 

 Northern Spy trees, used in this case as stocks, were 

 regularly grown by nurserymen. The Northern Spy was 

 chosen because of its hardiness and straight, clean, erect 

 growth, making it a vigorous and comely stock. Weak- 

 growing varieties are usually rejected for this purpose. 



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