Daily south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1881-18??, 1884-10-02
Value Of Knowing How to Graft.

Every farmers boy should learn to
graft. Few occupations give more
pleasure o. a greater reward. To con-
vert wild and thorny fruit into one
bearing large and delicious fruit is q
wonderful and fascinating process.
Grating need not be confined to frvit
trees. Ornamental trees and shrubs
which are nearly related to each other
may be grated. Several kinds OF roses
may be grown on the same bush, and
differently colored lilacs may be mixed
on the same stalk. Grating is an easy
art to acquire. Simply making the
cions live is but part OF the operation
on fruit trees, however. One must plan
for the future top of the tree. He must
graft such limbs as should make per-
manent factors in the top he is build
ing; and while he should avoid grating
too many limbs, he should likewise
avoid grating too few. In other ex-
treme too much cutting for the good of
the tree will have to be done. If too
few limbs are grated it will be neces-
sary to cut too many branches off en-
tirely during the process of grating
If too many limbs are grated it will be
necessary to cut many of them out in a
few years to prevent. crowding. 1t
must be remembered that a grated
branch will occupy more room than a
natural branch, for the cions branch
and bush out from the points of their
insertion. How many limbs and which
ones to graft must be learned by ex-
perience and judgment.
The kind of grating most likely to
be practised on the farms is that known
as cleft grating. The process is a
simple one. Saw off q limb to be
grated where it is an inch or less in
diamet r, trim the edges of the stub
smooth, and split it with a large knife
or cleaver made for the purpose. The
cleft should not be more than foul
inches deep at the most. A wedge i:
now inserted in the center of the cleft,
and cion is set on each side of thC
stub. The cions are made of twigs o.
last years growth. They should be
cut before the trees show any signs oi
starting in the spring. When the cion
is prepared ready for setting it should
contain about three buds. The lower
end is cut wedge-shaped by slicing of
each side of the cion. On one side o
this wedge-shaped portion, and mid
WY between its top and bottom
sh,dld be left one of the buds
When the cion is set the bud will bt
deep down in the side of the cleft in tn,
stub and will be covered with wax, but
being nearer the source of nourishment
will be the most apt of any buds t,
grow, and it will readily push through
The wax. The cion is set into the cleft
by exercising great care that the innel
surface of the bark on the cion exactly
matches the inner surface of the bari
on the stub. A line between the bari
and the wood may be observed. Thi
line on the cion, in other words, shoulC
match this line on the stub. Wax thu
whole over carefully and thoroughly
Do not leave any crack exposed. Wa,
which is pretty hard and which must b
worked and applied with the hands i
commonly best. We have given sever
al good recipes for grating wax, w
would recommend that grating be no
confined 20 the orchard. Experiment
Try pears or apples on wild CRABS an,
thorns. One must not look forssucces
on trees much different from the cions
but there is room for experimenting an,
more light is needed. -Ame, ican Cut
tiUdtor.