82 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
February, 1917 
A Few Words About Grafting 
FOR BEGINNERS 
Note (The following notes on 
grafting were first published in 
the Dec. 1912 issue of Wisconsin 
Horticulture, and periodically 
since that time requests have come 
for copies of the paper. To supply 
that need as well as to forestall fur- 
ther inquiries the article is re- 
printed) . 
The art of grafting is a simple 
one although often invested with 
mystery by the uninitiated. 
Simply stated, the possibilities of 
grafting are about as follows : 
You can go into your orchard 
next spring, saw off a few limbs 
from the old Hibernal apple tree, 
stick on some twigs of Wealthy 
and in a couple of years have a 
new top in the old Hibernal tree 
bearing Wealthy apples. 
If you have a pet seedling ap- 
ple and want fifty or one hundred 
trees, get some straight one-year 
apple roots, these are grown espec- 
ially for nurserymen from any old 
kind of apple seed, cut the roots in- 
to three-inch sections, splice to each 
a twig from your seedling tree and 
you have root grafts that will pro- 
duce orchard size trees in two 
years. There are many other pos- 
sibilities, but these two are the most 
practical. 
All orchard trees are grafted or 
budded and budding is one form 
of grafting, because there is no oth- 
er way to get trees true to kind or 
name. The nurseryman knows the 
whole story and so do many of our 
readers, but for the benefit of any 
others who would like to try the 
trick an attempt is here made to 
tell how in simple words. 
A part of it is written, a part 
told by pictures and the remainder 
left to the intelligence of our 
readers. 
In the language of Goff, “Graft- 
ing consists in placing together two 
portions of a plant or of different 
plants, containing living cambium 
in such a way that their cambium 
parts are maintained in intimate 
contact. If the operation is success- 
ful growth will unite the two 
parts,” * * * 
A) b c 
Fig. 1. (A) A good grafting knife; (B) Cion 
used in root grafting, must be new, current 
season, growth; (C) Root used in root graft- 
ing, the larger rootlets should be removed. 
Root grafting: The materials for 
root grafting consists of twigs of 
new ,(1916) growth which should 
be cut early in December and kept 
from drying until wanted and 
seedlings or stocks which may no 
doubt be had in limited quantities 
from any nurseryman. (These 
grew from seeds planted last 
spring.) The tools: a sharp knife 
and some twine or candle wicking 
soaked in grafting wax. Cut the 
roots into pieces of about three 
inches and the twigs (cions) five to 
six inches. Make sloping cut or 
cleft on both root and cion as 
shown in the picture (Fig. 2) and 
in such a way that the two can be 
united smoothly in a dove-tailed 
joint. The final operation consists 
in tying the parts with the waxed 
cord. 
One very important point not 
mentioned so far is to have the 
cambium or inner bark of the cion 
in contact with the inner bark of 
the root when the two are fitted to- 
gether. Make the joint so that it is 
smooth and even on one side, for in 
only one case in about seven thous- 
and will it be possible to make root 
and cion fit on both sides. The very 
thin layer, called cambium, lying 
between the bark and wood, is the 
only active growing portion of 
either cion or root and the only 
part where growth can start, there 
fore these must be in contact. Don’t 
try to find this cambium layer, be- 
cause you can’t, but just see to it 
that you have a good fit on one side 
of the joint and let it go at that. 
When the root grafts are finish- 
ed. pack in damp sawdust or sand 
Fig. 2. Showing method of making root 
graft. All illustrations on this and following 
page from Principles of Plant Culture by F. s. 
Goff. 
