How Nursery Trees Are Grown 
Neosho, Mo. 
To Produce a Grafted Tree— We first bake a small seedling tree, grown from the seed of a wild 
apple (shown on the opposite page), 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 seedling are joined to- 
gether 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 sprmg the graft is planted in ground that has been properly 
fertilized and prepared. 
Grafts ready for planting 
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 cul- 
tivated throughout the 
season, and every care 
given to the young tree. 
Here again there is no se- 
cret, but a great deal de- 
pends upon knowing just 
what to do and when. 
In the f aU of the second 
year after the '"graft" is 
planted we have a two- 
year Delicious apple tree. 
The top has grown two 
seasons and has a well- 
trained system of branch- 
es 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 treeis just as good 
Inserting the bud as the grafted. In the 
case of budding, the small seedling tree is planted in the 
nursery row in the spring. Some time during the sum- 
mer we take a bud from a Delicious tree and insert it 
under the bark of the seedling about two inches above 
the ground. Raffia is carefully wrapped about the bud 
to hold it in place until it unites with the seedling. This 
bud does not dei^elop that summer, but the following 
spring the top of tne seedling is cut off just above this 
Delicious bud; then the bud starts to grow, and from 
this one bud, which was taken from a direct descendant 
from the original Delicious tree, the entire top of the tree 
is developed. In the fall of the second year a,fter the seed- 
Img 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. 
Crabappie, 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 some- 
times according to the different varieties. Some trees and 
plants require spraying at certain seasons, others require 
pruning at a particular time. Cultivation must be stopped 
at a certain 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 diggmg the middle to the last of Oc- 
tober — depending upon the condition 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. Please 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 j labeled^ and 
brought together in the shipping-room. First 
they are inspected and checked to make'^sure 
that each tree or plaat is up to our standard 
and is the kmd, variety, and size you 
have specified; then they are packed 
with damp moss or shingle-tow about 
the roots, wrapped in straw or paper, 
and sewed in bur- 
lap. Freight or- 
ders are packed in 
boxes lined 
with paper. 
