APPLES 
times around the other end of the cut, 
as in the beginning, and fasten the end, 
not by tying, but by drawing it down 
into the cut and by a sharp jerk, break- 
ing it off. This completes the process. 
The finished graft should be from seven 
to nine inches long. (Fig. 2.) Some 
people prefer to dip the ball of-wrapping 
thread in hot grafting wax before-using. 
If this is done it is not necessary to 
fasten the end of the thread after wrap- 
Fig. 3. Apple Grafts. At @ are shown a 
good No. 1 apple seedling, whole, and the 
Same cut into three pieces for piece root 
grafting. At b is shown the complete pro- 
cess of making apple grafts. 
ping, as the wax will hoid it in place. 
The old way was to thoroughly wax over 
the point of union after being wrapped 
with a string. Some also went so far 
as to wrap with a piece of waxed cloth. 
But these precautions are not considered 
to be necessary. 
Whole-root grafts are widely advertised. 
This is a trade name for grafts that have 
been made by using branching roots 
123 
four to six inches long, the scion being 
grafted on at the crown or part of the 
seedling root that grew just at the top 
of the ground. Seedlings that have not 
formed long tap roots may be economi- 
cally employed in whole-root grafting. It 
is not practical, and also is unnecessary 
to use entirely whole roots, where the 
latter are very long, in root grafting. 
In the first place it would scarcely be 
possible to dig the seedling without de- 
stroying a portion of the tap root, and 
even if this could be accomplished, it 
would not be feasible to plant such grafts 
after they were made as they would be — 
two feet or more in length. In many in- 
stances there is no doubt but that grafts 
upon moderately long roots will make 
better trees than where very short pieces 
are used. However, very much depends 
upon the character of the soil and the 
season in which grafts are grown. With 
proper handling good trees may be grown 
with short pieces of root for stock. 
Owing to cheapness as well as ease in 
handling, the writer prefers a scion six 
or seven inches long and a section of 
root about three inches long. (Figs. 2 
and 3.) 
In wrapping apple grafts only just 
enough thread should be used to hold 
the parts firmly together until planted. 
It is a mistake to wrap with_thread that 
is too strong, or to use too much of the 
right kind of string, as such binding 
material will not decay quickly enough. 
If the thread does not decay when 
growth begins after being planted, the 
tree at the point of union will be girdled 
or ligatured, thus creating a wound which 
is a menace to the health of the tree. 
This is the objection to using waxed 
thread, as the wax may prevent its decay- 
ing at the proper time. 
' Pack the grafts in bundles of 50 to 
100 each and store in green sawdust, 
where they.are to be kept until plant- 
ing time. While in ‘storage the cut sur- 
faces which have been joined together 
will actually begin to heal over and par- 
tially begin to unite, and on this account 
the grafts should not be disturbed until 
they are taken out for planting. Keep 
the boxes of grafts in a cellar or mod- 
