Neosho, Missouri 
HOW TREES ARE PROPAGATED 
HOW NURSERY TREES ARE GROWN 
To one who is not familiar with the nursery business it may seem a small matter to 
produce a good fruit tree; but it is not like planting a kernel of corn and picking an ear 
of the same variety of corn some months later. If you plant a seed of the Delicious 
apple, it will not produce a Delicious apple tree. In almost every instance a tree grown 
from the seed is unlike its parent. This is true of most other fruits. 
To secure a tree that will produce fruit of a particular variety, it is necessary to take 
a section or bud from a tree of the desired variety and combine it with a seedling tree by 
some process of grafting or budding. There is no secret about it,, but the quality of the 
tree when it is ready to transplant depends upon the experience, skill, and care of the 
individual nurseryman. A Delicious apple tree is propagated and grown as follows: 
To produce a grafted tree, we first take 
a sm ill seedling tree, grown from the seed 
of a wild apple, and cut off the top just 
above the root. Then we take a scion (a 
five-inch piece of branch) from a Delicious 
tree. This scion and the root of the seed- 
ling are joined together so smoothly that 
the line of union can hardly be seen. This 
graft is then wrapped with twine as 
smoothly as a spool of thread. Early in the 
spring the graft is planted in ground that has 
been properly fertilized and prejiared. The 
scion and root grow together as firmly as if 
they were not parts of two separate trees; 
at the same time a bud from the top of the 
scion puts forth a shoot and grows up, 
forming the top of the tree. The ground is 
cultivated throughout the season, and every 
care given to the young tree. Here again 
there is no secret, but a great deal depends 
upon knowing just what to do and when; 
In the fall of tlie second year after the 
"graft" is planted we have a two-year De- insoiLni 
licious apple tree. The top has grown two 
seasons and has a well-trained s.ystem of branches that 
have been shaped and pruned to form the open vase-shaped 
head preferred by experienced fruit-growers. 
Now for budding: The principles are the same, and if 
the trees are equal in all other respects, a budded tree is just 
as good as the grafted. In the case of budding the small 
seedling tree is planted in the nurseiy row in the spring. 
Some time during the summer we take a bud from a Delicious 
tree and insert it under tlic bark of the seedling about two 
inches above the ground. llaSia is carefully wrapped about 
the bud to hold it in place until it unites with the seedling. 
This bud does not develop that summer, but the following 
spring the top of the seedling is cut off just above this De- 
licious bud; then the bud starts to grow, and from this one 
bud, which was taken from a direct descendant from the or- 
iginal Delicious tree, the entire top of the tree is developed. 
In the fall of the second year after the seedling is planted we 
have a one-year budded tree with a one-year-old top, but the 
root is three years old. These tops are often 
straight whips, but in some cases they may 
carry a number of side branches. 
Crabapple, pear, and quince trees are 
propagated either by grafting or budding; 
peach, plum, apricot, dwarf pear, and cherry 
trees are budded only. The principle is the 
same for each kind of fruit, but they all 
have peculiarities calling for special training 
and experience. 
In all of these operations each kind of 
tree or plant requires treatment and care 
according to its kind and sometimes accord- 
ing to tlie different varieties. Some trees 
and plants require spraying at certain sea- 
sons, others require pruning at a particular 
time. Cultivation must be stopped at a cer- 
tain time on some kinds, to permit the wood 
to mature, as the trees must be thoroughly 
dormant before they are dug from the nursery. 
We usually start digging the middle to 
the last of October — depending upon the con- 
U6 Bud dition of the trees rather than upon the 
demands for early fall shipment. A tree 
that is dug too soon loses part of its vitality. You could 
not tell the difference except by observing the growth after 
the tree is transplanted in your orchard. 
After the trees are dug, the culls are left to be burned, 
and the good trees placed in the packing-house, carefully 
graded and inspected. Mease note that our trees are graded 
and listed by diameter, a better measure of value than 
height, although we also give the approximate height. Ex- 
perienced commercial growers buy by diameter or caliper. 
Now we are ready to fill your order. The items you 
require are properly labeled and brought together in the 
shipping-room. First they are inspected and checked to 
make sure that each tree or plant is up to our standard and 
is the kind, variety, and size you ha\e specified; then they 
are packed with damp moss or shingie-tow about the roots, 
wrapped in straw or paper, and sewed in burlap. Freight 
orders arc packed in boxes lined v ith paper. 
Final Inspection Before Paclcing tor Shipment. Packing for Shipment. 
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