A' Belated Study of Grafting, 
R isks of inexperience.— if one should 
show a small hoy how to saw off a piece of a 
board and splice or nail it to another, and then gay 
“Go to it. Johnny, and build for thyself a house,” 
without warning him of the difficulties and disap¬ 
pointments he would be up against, it would not be 
so very much unlike showing an inexperienced per¬ 
son the picture of a grafted limb of a tree, accom¬ 
panied by a few minor details of “construction.” 
without warning him of the many other and more 
important features connected with the work of 
changing over lriisfits in an orchard, or the grafting 
over of other than Quite small trees. Johnny might, 
in time, somehow, produce something, if he had the 
grit to hang to it, hut even then lie would not be up 
against as difficult a proposition as some have been 
who have gone into a new section and attempted to 
build up an orchard, especially if they have ventured 
far from the well-beaten “Baldwin-Greening path” 
or in other sections. The hoy. Johnny, would make 
a good many had cuts, mistakes and misfits before 
he would have much of a house, and the same has 
occurred in many an apple orchard. 
MISFITS AND MISTAKES.— It would he more 
pleasant to tell of the bright side, of successes and 
big things accomplished, but the opposite is often of 
more value to others, and when one has been over 
a rough road he knows something about the difficul¬ 
ties. the sink holes and the bad places, and the object 
in writing this is to warn others of the jolts they are 
liable to get in following old ruts along this line of 
work. Misfits in an apple orchard are by no means 
always due to trees that did not fit the 
labels, as varieties unsuited to location 
and conditions under which one is 
forced to work form a large part of 
such. It takes a long head to foresee 
the changes that may occur between 
the time of planting an apple orchard 
and the coming to bearing. While the 
changing over of misfit trees to profit- 
aide varieties is attended by difficul¬ 
ties and considerable risk under some 
conditions and methods of handling, it 
is-well worth while to do so. 
WINTER IN.TFRY.—The ease and 
success with which the work may be 
done will depend largely on conditions, 
as to location, the severity with which 
the trees are cut hack if hard Winters 
follow, and the varieties to be grafted 
over. For instance, further south it 
would seem that one can cut and slash 
in an orchard without having to worry 
about Winter injuries, and even here 
such serious loss from winter-killing in 
apple orchards as we had a few years 
ago might not occur more than once 
or twice in a lifetime, but our own 
heaviest losses have come from too severe cutting 
back for graftting, followed by hard Winters. Much 
depends on the variety to be worked over, as under 
exactly the same treatment what will kill an apple 
lice of one kind others will thrive under. Soft- 
wooded varieties give the most trouble. 
METHODS OF GRAFTING.—The success of 
grafting over an apple tree does not depend on any 
particular way in which the scions are inserted. 
Indeed, this is one of the least important factors. 
A man may be an expert grafter, so far as making 
even 100 per cent live, and yet make a failure of the 
work under such conditions as we nve here in the 
North, should a severe Winter follow, if he cuts 
back the tree too much. Besides, though every graft 
should live and make a beautiful, rank growth, it 
would sometimes not be so much an indication of 
Tree grafted to Williams Early Red. Growth too rank 
very difficult to form a good head without severe 
cutting. 
success as trouble ahead. The object in giving the 
method here shown is its simplicity and the ease and 
rapidity with which the work can be done. A much 
larger number of grafts may be inserted in a large 
tree, and in less time than it would take to do it by 
the usual method of cleft-grafting. The idea is to 
avoid too severe cutting back, which is like tearing 
down most of a house to make a few alterations and 
improvements. 
FORMING THE HEAD.—To some extent the 
grafting of only a part of a tree one year and the 
Methods of Cutting mid Setting Scion. Fig. 2)6 
balance the next overcomes the disadvantage of cut¬ 
ting back large limbs, which requires fewer scions 
for a tree, but it does not overcome the great diffi¬ 
culty of getting too rank a growth from the grafts 
inserted, making it difficult to form a good new head. 
The inexperienced will often take pride in the great 
rank growth from the grafts he has set. and judge 
the success of the work by that, but he does not 
look far enough ahead. It is a mistaken idea, and 
I_ admit having held the opinion that if a man cares 
more for the shape of a head (on a tree) than what 
is in it he would better keep away from it. The 
change can just as well be made without changing 
the shape of the head of the tree to any great 
extent by going further out on the limbs and setting 
a larger number of scions, and then. too. do it in 
less time than it would take to fuss with split¬ 
ting and fitting to it two scions in a large limb. 
CUTTING THE SCIONS.—Fig. 24G ..hows a 
simple way of grafting, being what might be called 
a long-handled •budding method. AAA shows how 
the scions are cut. simply one smooth, sloping cut 
u ith a sharp knife, just back of a bud or eye. at the 
base of scion. The bud at base of scion is not at all 
necessary, but comes handy at times in case a grqft 
gets broken off, which occasionally does- happen, but 
is much less likely to where inserted in small limbs, 
and the growth is not too rank. High -winds take 
a heavy toll at times from over-rank growing grafts. 
For small limbs the small size scions work better, 
and length may be to suit the supply of scions. 
Where there is an abundance of young wood to use 
a terminal bud scion 10 or 12 inches or more in 
length works nicely, or may be cut up short as 
desired if scions are scarce. 
SETTING THE SCION.—Fig. 24G. B. shows the 
end of limb cut off on a slant and the upper end 
squared off a little with a knife. The sloping cut 
is the right idea, and where grafts have already 
been inserted a year in stubs cut off square, and are 
not healing over well, the swivel pruning saw works 
well for making a fresh, sloping cut. Rank-growing 
grafts will overgrow a square cut even on quite a 
large limb, but will handle the sloping cut more 
easily. On very small limbs it does not matter so 
much whether the cut is sloping or not. C shows 
knife cutting through the bark only, making a slit 
which is opened slightly at top ready for end of 
scion. No splitting of limb and fitting scion into 
wood, and requires no expert care in 
making the inner bark of scion and 
stock exactly fit, as with cleft-grafting. 
D shows scions inserted in the slit and 
pushed home under the hark, and that 
is all there is to it: no expert fitting 
needed. E shows D wrapped with 
waxed cloth. This is more easily, 
quickly and economically done with 
waxed cloth than fussing with the wax 
in the clear. 
WAXED CLOTH.—F shows a roll 
of waxed cloth. Old sheets make the 
best material for this purpose, but can¬ 
not always get enough of them. The 
cloth should be soft, easily torn into 
strips three-fourths or one inch in 
width, and of more importance is that 
they should be easily torn crosswise. 
One simply tears off a* few inches of 
the waxed strip of cloth and covers 
the cut tightly, same as in waxing, 
being careful, however, not to use too 
much of it. -The cloth holds the scion 
in place better than wax in case a bird 
uses it for a perch, as will sometimes 
happen . The grafting wax is melted 
as usual, in a crock or kettle, and the rolls of cloth 
soaked thoroughly, then allowed to drain and cool. 
The strips of cloth are wound around a center of 
three or four small sticks of wood, which allows 
the melted wax to enter from the inside as well as 
the outside. In winding on the cloth let the end of 
each strip lap under the end of the preceding strip, 
so that in unwinding the end of the next strip is 
always easy to find. Vary the wax with the weather. 
If hot, use a little extra rosin and beeswax. Test 
a roll first and see if it works and sticks well. One 
of the girls can do the waxing, or the whole job for 
that matter. 
THE GROWING GRAFT.—G shows the graft 
the following Spring with the suckers and waxed 
cloth removed. If old cloth is used, and not too 
much applied, no attention will be necessary until 
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