Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1894-02-03
Gr2ftins and Budding.

Nellie Johnston, Cambridge, Kas.,
writes: Seeing recently in The
Republic answers to some questions
regarding fruit tree borers lin which
I am interested), l wish to inquire
how and when to bud. l planted
peach and plum pits last November
and would like to experiment on
them next Spring, or at such time
as you say"
The operations of grating and
budding, as well as many other
processes of horticulture, are emf
nently appropriate to the hands of
ladies. Unless pursued too continu-
ously they are not arduous, and a
deft and delicate touch is often of
more importance than mere
strength. 1t is scarcely probable
that our correspondent will be able
to experiment upon her seedlings
during the coming Spring.
Unless the ground in which the
pits were planted freezes very hard
or the pits were cracked before
planting they may not even germi-
nate until the second season. To
insure speedy growth the stones of
peaches, especially, should be crack
ed before planting, care being taken
not to bruise the kernel in any way.
Protect the kernel with the cracked
shell and cover with two inches Of
pulverized soil. Under these condi-
tons the seeds will start early and,
with good cultivation, may be large
enough to bud the following Sep
TENDER.
Stone fruits are usually prop
agated in this way, while the pip
fruits, such as the apple, pear and
ounce, are more commonly grated.
The process Of budding is as follows:
Select from a thrifty shoot of the
variety you wish to obtain the more
slender single buds-the rounded
double buds are flower buds and
would not produce wood. Cut off
the leaf below, leaving bit of the
petiole or foot-stalk for convenience
OF handling.
If your stock is a young Seeding,
cut near the ground perpendicular
slit in the bark and make a cross
cut near the upper end and with the
rounded end of the budding knife,
raise the bark slightly and insert
the small section of the wood con-
tanning the bud. Fit it in smooth
ly and bind up with strands of bass
mating or soft wooden yarn, or
coarse waxed thread, binding down
all except the bit of leaf stalk and
the bud in its axil. The top of the
seedling-which should have at
tanned diameter of an ordinary
lead pencil where the bud is insert
ed-should then be cut off an inch
or SO above the latter so as to force
the sap in the direction of the intro
duced bud. After growth is well
started the wrapping should be re-
moved. This method of propagation
is only possible when the bark will
"slip." Large seedlings may have
several buds, each inserted into a
separate branch.
Grating consists in the insertion
of a vigorous shoot, called scion,
containing a number of buds into
the stock of a seeding which has
been cut off near the root. The IN
dispensable thing is to fit the edges
of the bark of the two sorts together
so that the sap may circulate with
out interruption through the intro
duced portion. The scion is bound
to the stock with strips of cloth
coated with grating wax. Top
grating is the method in most gen.
eral use by nurserymen, but side
and splice grating of branches is
also practiced. A detailed descrip-
ton Of all these processes would
occupy too much space in these
columns, but if any interested read