Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1853-05-14

New Dlscoyery in Grating the Peach.


New Discovery in Grating the Peach.
NY PROF. cHAs. @. PAGE, NJ. D. WARRINGTON
Ii is almost universal practice with gar
derners to bud the peach tree, and In nearly
all treatise upon peach culture, budng is re c.
commended in place ofgrafling which is spo-
ken of as impracticable. In the year s39 my
attention was first turned TO this subject.
An old farmer of Fairfax county Virginia,
who boasted Of his skill in grating one hun
dred peach trees and failed in every one
upon trying the experiment upon single
tree, and with the utmost care, failed also,
and saw what appeared to me to be the true
cause. My mind at being familiar with
surgical subjects, remembered that after
wound or incision was made, adhesion would
not take place as long as the blood flowed or a
discharge was kept up; that codgutvm must
must be formed before union could be effected
that where the circulating vessels were too
active or forcible, ligatures or mechanical
means were employed diminish the force Of
circulation There appeared to me to be a
close parable, between the condit ons and prac-
tce in the surgical case and that OF the peach
tree.
The peach tree is one Of very rapid gro with
and active circulation. When an incision is
made. or the tree headed down in the grating
season. there is at once an overflow of sap
when the scion is inserted in any Of The usual
ways and the grating composition applied tEe
excessive flow of the sap prevents the formation
Of coooultm or calluS, and thus interferes with
the adhesion or union between the scion or
graft. The flowing Of the sap was to be stop
ped, and several ways suggested themselves
readily. The first was to cut the tap-root
This was done by passing down long and
sharp knife and severing the root at depth
VARYING according to the size OF tree-tor
large stocks going deeper than small ones
The second was to head the stocks down
lift them from the ground, cut the tap root
and replant the stocks in sorting the graft
either before or after the planting. Under
both these modes of clicking the circulaton,th the
gratis inserted--after the common mode o.
cleft grafting-took perfectly well. The pro
norton of gratis succeeding with this treat
ment was as great as with apple trees.
have even succeeded in grating in this way
in the month of August; and there is now
upon my fathers farm at Pageville, Fairfax
county, Virginia, large and vigorous peach
tree in the full prime Of bearing, which was
grated in the summer of 1889. There are
also at the same place number of peach
trees grated in the spring Of 639, which are
in a flourishng and healthy condition, ant
which are, of course, now nearly fourteen
years old from the graf, and fifteen years
from the seed. They look rather bettel
than trees buded the same year; but this diff
.erenceis perhaps owing to better treatment
A remark NAV not be amiss here concerning
the age of the peach tree. 1t is not naturally
a short.iived tree as is generally represented
and believed The early failure Of this tre'
in New Jersy has probably given rise to thi
opinion, although it is true that elsewhere
.he tree shares similar fate under unfavor
albe circumstances. We have seen peacl
trees here tWoJees in diameter at pEe base o
the trunk, and ffty gears old,
We will enlarge upon this subject IN iu
ture number Of the Journal, as we have mucl
vet to communicate upon the culture OF tbI
Important fruit. The philosophy OF the graft
ing operation is clear The cutting OF th
tap-roo or general shortning of the roots
checks at once the circulation OF the sap; ant
if the tree be stilkept in growing condition
the cullus will readily form, and the graft TAX
kindly There is some advantage in bein!
able to graft this tree, although it buds S
easily and during so long season Frequent
an this region from the middle of June to tn
last of SeptembeD The grated tree is ear
der in fruit, and, in case budding fails, th
stocks may answer for gratis in the spring