PROPAGATION AND CULTIVATION OF FRUIT TREES IN JAPAN. 95 



TROPAGATION AND CULTIVATION OF FRUIT TREES IN 



JAPAN. 



By T. Ikeda, F.R.H.S., Assistant Professor of Horticulture, 

 College of Agriculture, Tokio. 



Propagation. 



The familiar methods of propagation of fruit trees by cuttings and graft- 

 ing are well known in Japan, and are performed with the highest skill. 

 Our forefathers practised grafting and propagation by cuttings and 

 layers, and the like, as done in Europe and America, from quite 

 early times. They were entirely ignorant, however, of budding, but with 

 the introduction of Western civilization that operation, too, has been 

 brought into use, and its practice has spread throughout the country, 

 with successful results everywhere. Our fruit growers acknowledge its 

 merit through experience, but being highly skilled in grafting they 

 have not yet come to rely upon it, except in the case of peaches and 

 nectarines. The propagation of these two fruit trees by our common 

 method of grafting is quite unreliable, even in the most skilful hands, 

 and budding has been adopted in recent years. 



The popular methods v/idely used among our nurserymen and 

 growers are methods of grafting, while stocks are raised from seeds and 

 cuttings. The following methods of grafting are most in use: — 



1. " Kiri-tsugi." Similar to the. " crown grafting of Americans. 

 V 2. In-arching or Grafting by approach. (Yobi-tsugi.) 

 I 3. Splice Grafting. (Sogi-tsugi.) 

 \ 4i. Side Grafting. (Hara-tsugi.) 



5. Cleft Grafting. (Wari-tsugi.) 



6. Cutting Grafting. (Sashi-tsugi.) 



7. Root Grafting. (Ne-tsugi.) 



Without going into details of each mode of grafting I propose to 

 describe our methods of propagating each kind of fruit grown. 



Crabs and apples are propagated by grafting. Many kinds of stocks 

 are used, e.g., ' Rin-Ki ' (Pyrus Malus var. tomentosa), ' Koringo ' 

 (P. baccata var. mandshurica), ' Kaido ' (P. spectahilis), ' Inunashi ' 

 or ' Yam.anashi ' (P. Callenjana), ' Kozumi ' (P. Toringo), Sand Pear 

 seedhngs. Quince (Cijdonia vulgaris), ' Kwarin ' (C. sinensis), ' Boke ' 

 (C. japonica). Of these, ' Rin-Ki,* ' Koringo,' ' Kaido,' * Yamanashi,' 

 and ' Kozumi ' are commonly regarded as the best. 



The season of , grafting extends over a considerable time, from 

 March to middle April being the best. The scions are usually cut in 

 February, and lightly covered with soil in a shaded and sheltered place 

 for at least a week before grafting. The time of storing scions may 

 be prolonged at will. Stocks are grown from cuttings, root cuttings, 

 division, layers, and seeds. 



