Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-02-21
Root Grating.


engaged in the nursery business the past
fifteen years, and given the subject much of
my thoughts, feel willing now to give
mhst htle have observed on the subject
70 the public; as | have declined growing
more fruit trees for sale cannot be accused
with being interested in the sale Of trees
We have suffered in this nags Of the
land for want Of apples fomtwo causes;
one is in tie manner the trees have beep
grown, and the other in growing varieties
that originated in different climate and
not adapted 70 our partof tie country.
Our long, hot summer rer-ripens tia
kinds that originated Norsp Of this. Most
of the orchards now Ia this part of the
country, that are Of the improved kinds,
were grown ia PENNSYLVANIA by root graft
ing and are now mostly failing, at from Is
to % years old, especially the thrihiest
kinds; and when they begin to decline
they nearly all show The same symptoms,
Viz: spot Of dead bark on the south and
southwest sides without any show Of in
sects to injurc the lark; IN most egses Inc
tree grows but little for one or two years
previous to dying.
Now for the csSuses Of this. 1t is we'll
known to English gardeners that trees are
grown in the MOTT climate of England
from cuttings and sold Co such CUSTOMERS
as lease their farms for Is or 2ctyears.
they wen knowing Chat such trees Seiii serve
their purpose heSN Is they come INTO bear
mo sooner; and by the time they aredone
with them they aroused up and die. The
reason Of this appears t. Dc that the cut
tings form more literal or surface roots,
and less deep tap roots; nod the laterals
coming into contact With the rich surface
soil and warmed by the heat Of the sun
feed the tree with llxuriant nourishment,
causing il to develop wood and fruit at a
greater rate than is best for its vitality
Such trees fail soonest on thin soils as a
natural consequence, and soonest in very
extreme climates like ours; excessive heat,
long drought, and severe cold quickly all
ternating.
Root grating properly speaking there
are two methods) IS not altogether tine
cause Of the above evil; but whenever the
roots are cut in short pieces, and long
craft inserted, and that graft allowed to
take root, las most root-graiters do IN too
many places) the effect will be the same
with al the thriftiest varieties as if they
had been grown from cuttings: for they
viii soon form more roots from the graft
than from the root; and in many cases the
root will dwinde entirely away aud leave
| it just as cutting The proper way to
root graft is to use graft quite short and
make it a positive point not to let the graft
get deep enough to take root in any case;
and use one seeding for each graft; then
if they ale not trimmed up higher than
one or one and half feet, there will be
but little danger Of the evils above men-
toned If nurserymen will persist in cut
ting up the roots of the seedlings into threa
or four pieces and let the gratis take root
It is useless to try to make the trees long,
lived. Overgrowth and oyerbeariEg will
produce premature decay. But some say,
why Ilot plant such trees and depend on
.heir bearing sooner and heavier 70 make
up for their loss
The advantage thus gained does not pay
in this country so well as in England en-
account Of the excessive droughts here that
require the trees to have firner constitu-
ton and deeper roots with more moderate
bearing.
Some advocate the grating of Seeding
trees to make mem healthier, at standard
height: but there is no use TO do this X
they are grated just at the surface and al
lowed to branch low. If they must be
trimmed up let the different branches be
trimmed nn gradually, always aiming to
keep sbe body OF the tree shaded by tho
limbs.
Let any one 60 over an orchard trimmed
FIVE or six feet high and look at the bark
on the South and then on the North sldes
when the trees are four 70 five inches
through, and he will surely be convinced
Of the folly Of trimming higher than two
feet to insure healthy trees.
On northern exposures aud very col
situations these effects gre not so soon man-
Tested. =. TAYLOR.
Notwithstanding the facts advanced
above have become patent with the public.
buyers in too MANY instances continue to
purchase trees without a guaranty ths' they
are not piece-rootgrqfted. II is well
known that most Of the trees sold by nur-
serymcn ali through the country have been
produced in that way, and in our soil and
climate are almost worthless. We believe
some or perhaps most Of the Eprserymen
in this county graft in the old-fashloned
way.