The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-28
Grating.


Henry Stewart, in New York Times
After planting the next important operation
in the orchard is grating. This is Of great i'm
portance to the farmer as wen as to the large
grower of fruit trees, either of whom can raise
his own seedlings and top graft them instead of
buying root grated trees from the nurseryman,
thus stocking an orchard without any expendi-
ture of money and with but little labor. 1t has
been thought that trees grown in this way are
harder and longer lived than others, and perhaps
this common belief is well founded Some varie-
ties too, do much better on what called
double-wori1ed stocks, because the stock has
some influence upon the graft and varieties may
be improved IN this way, SO that every owner or
planter of an orchard should understand how to
graft his trees and how the process is effected IN
the growth of the graft
In common practice scion cutting from a
valuable variety of fruit is grated into q less
desirable kind, and the good variety may be null
tiplied very greatly. And not only so, but the
worthless stock may change the habit of growth
of the graft, as in grating pear upon ounce, by
which we make dwarfs which bear very much
sooner than standard pears would do, and in
some cases greatly improve the character OF the
fruit.
The scions should be cut from the last years
growth, or those of the year previous may be
used. But no cuttings having "uit buds should
be taken. The purpose of the scion is to form
the top of the future tree, OF a branch which
must make several years growth before it will
bear fruit. The process of fitting the sclons
INTO Gne STOCK Is IOlONS. Inc HInO
or stem to be grated is sawn off squarely
with fine saw, and the surface is trimmed
quite smoothly with a sharp knife. a strong
bladed knife, as a shoemakers cutting knife,
having straight edge small mallet, a chisel
ground to a double edge, a sharp penknife, aud a
pot of grating wax are required. The blade OF
the knife is held across the stump to be grated
in the direction in which the gratis are to be
placed and driven down with the mallet so as to
split the stump smoothly. The knife is then
drawn out and the chisel is driven into the cen
ter of the split so as to hold it open while the
graft is inserted. The graft is cut ge-shape
both ways to fit the split in the stock that the
bark of each fits closely, and a shoulder
should be cut on the graft to fit the bark on
the edge of the stock quite neatly. The princi-
pie is to get as much OF the bark of the graft
into contact with the bark Of the stock as posi-
BILE In cutting the graft care should be taken
to leave a bud on the outside just above the
shoulder, from which a shoot will grow to form
a future stem or branch; if a bud is left on the
inside it should be pinched off When the graft
is in its place the chisel or wedge is drawn out,
and as the split closes it binds the graft firmly.
The wound on the stock and junction of the
graft is then covered with grating wax, which
is a mixture of equal parts of resin bees wax and
tallow softened with sufficient linseed-oil to
make it plastic This protects tho point of the
graft from the air and from drying and encour-
ages a rapid healing and union Of the graft with
the stock.