The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1900-10-02
TRICKS PLAYEDONTREEs
PLANTS DWARFED AND CHANGED
CONTRARY TO THEIR KIND.
The Japanese owe the Secret of Their
Production to the Chinese-The Pro-
cess OF Grating and Its Service to
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. "Gresh Ebony"

many hundreds Of years that lac has
become as much Injured to the practice
rs the trees themselves The arbor
rulturist is willing to tatter himself
IN the result. though what IN" trees
may be entitled To feel about the
conjuralioD Is quite another AFFAIR
They might. for instance. consider thar
the tree doctor means well. hut pretty
often contriveS to dissemble his love.
Some of his operations are certainly
painful and others eccentric. but the
patients are. nevertheless. h and to
submit To them Bound. indeed.
they frequently are. root and branch:
and II their behavior i'm such trying
situation is not always exactly that
anticipated 10y their taskmastcrs, il
must he admitted that the trees Occn
sionally endeavor 10 do the best under
trying circumstances. But to drop lie
metaphor For some little time the
famous "dwarfed" forest trees OF
Japan have been bidding for western
popularity, and their exhibition and
sale Is now of almost annual occur
renee. They are more OF less perfect
IN pots, with gntrlcd trunks ana
branches and leaves TO match. and
fully iustifying To the eve their claim
10 growth. The once famous show
man. Mr.. Nutfin. declared as the re
suit of his varied experience. that the
older Il dwarf is. the better worth he
is; greay-headCd dwarf well wrin-
klcd, is beyond all suspicion" In the
production of their dwarfed trees the
willy Orientals seem tU acknowledge
the same principle Tho unfortunate
trcc-dwarf must not only bc old. Int
must look its agc. II must have wrin-
kIcs and crows feet. II must have
roots. and palsipd members. Then it
is dwarf indeed. aud the better
worth owning and exhibiting.
Although the great number Of The
dwarfCd trees come from Japan. the
Japanese owe the secret of their pro
duction to the Chinese II is the very
button of excellence in the cap of a
Celestial gardener tU he an adept in
the art of Conqucring nature and the
practice of making "Koo Shoe" tree
dwartSl may possibly date from the
time of Confucius Various members
of the confer" family arc the favor
lite subjects OF distortion. though they
are by no means the only tribe sub
mitted 10 it. Long experience has
doubtless suggested more than one
method of producing the desired end.
hut the Chinese system may perhaps
he taken as type of all The prac-
titiOner selects a small branch of Il
healthy growing tree. which promises
well for the operation. Just below
an eye" i'm the young wood ring
OF bark is cXcised, and the wound i'm
mediatcly surrounded with ball OF
compost, held in position by a suitable
envelope. This begins to send out
little rootletS in search of nourish-
ment. Being in every way cncour-
aged to make the best of its new stu
alton. II presently declares its com.
plete independence of the parent stock.
from which il is then severed Now
begins the more personal struggle with
untoward fate Still attended by it's
ball Of earth, it is cramped into
small pot and just kept alive by
II
not flourish. and it must not die: those
are the terms OH which the artist deals
with his captive. and between which
ii has to find its own level. But the
dungeon alone is not sufficient: the
tOrturcr is called in TO assist. As
soon AZ the victim has established Il
kind of torpid existence. its stem and off
shoots are in various places" clampcd"
with wire letters. in order TO promote
the rugged appearance so necessary
TO its future prospects as dwarf of
venerable age. At this stage. also. the
roots are closely scanned, aud when
necessary are trimmed or even scared
with Il hot iron Many deaths occur
lust then. but such subjects as sur
viVc the treatment gradually begin 10
show its effects. With lessened leaves
and crampcd branches. they grow into
more or less perfect rcscmblanceS of
forest veterans TO confer kind of
worm eaten antiquity. the branches
are occasionally smeared with hone
70 invite the attacks Of insects. The
plants natural instinct is sometimes
not fully overcome for ten. or even
twenty years. But it eventually sub
sides into the state Of dwarfdom. u
barely living example Of what mans
perverted ingenuity can effect.
As one of the many tricks PLAYED
upon trees grating stands perhaps
only ncNt to dwarfng II must. how
ever ai once bc admitted that tho
FORMER process has been of the most
bcnetccut service to mankind. The
Romans. who had wonderful love
of gardening perhaps it was The nat
ural gntthcsis Of the warlikc element
knew everything that was then To-
Doe known i'm relation to grating and
budding. But we arc confronted bv
NirgiIs rather startling assertion that
amy scion may bc uaftcd on any
stock He speaks of apples growing
ON pear. and oven plane. tree. Of
cherries ON q plum. and of pears ON
80 wild ash Now. 70 is The common
experience OF the modcrns that mo-
graft VIII succeed unless 90 hc upon
70 stock which bears fruit OF the same
Kind We must NOT however. bc TOO
ready to charge thc poet with having
exceeded the bounds Of his license.
for lliny tells us OF famous tree
in The garden Of Lucullus which bore
n ha'f dozen different kinds of fruit.
Instances Of this kind. indeed. might
lac pvrnuTsT oTVro.t tvI.g,tt.f.. o..