The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-03-06
Grating, Budding and Pruning.

OF us are masters of.
We will first take up grating and bud
ding In general, as their ultimate objects
are the same.
list. To change an unknown or un-
worthy variety to one of known value.
I'd. To get the tender varieties on
hardy roots.
Last, but not least, it is our only method
OF perpetuating the many thousands of
elegant varieties that have come TO US
through the untiring efforts OF such men
as Luther Burbank, Prof. Van Deman,
7. j. Berkmans, and we might name a
score of others who are world-renowned
as cross pollenizers and producers of
varieties of extreme merit.
We will first take up the matter of
grating separately.
FIRST, TOP GRATING.
This is done by selecting good, thrifty,
young limbs, well spread through the
top and not over y inches in diameter,
cut the branch sloping enough to shed
water and split very shallow, take two
scions of even size and taper them well,
using particular care to have them the
same bevel and not over three buds, use
hard wooden wedge to open the split,
then insert the scions so that the inner
bark comes in contact with the inner
bark Of the tree, this is the most import
ant item), connect the inner bark, then
cover all exposed parts with wax suf-
fciently filled with resin to glaze and
shed water. All injurious branches should
be removed the first year and all others
the second year after grating.
ROOT GRAPHING.
This is a subject which is interesting
only to nurserymen, but in order to show
how it is done and its relative differences
from budding, we must at least touch
on this novel method which can as
easily be used in top grating, where
limbs of less than one-half inch diameter
are to be worked.
Piece root or the most common method
of propagation: Take one year apple
seedlings, running from 3-16 to "a inch
in diameter, and cut the roots into pieces
about 30 inches long, cut as many scions
about seven inches long, being careful
eter as the roots, cut each to Ia inch
bevel and split as shallow as possible,
then shove firmly together and bind with
prepared grating thread. This will in
most cases form tree on its own roots,
as the small pieces of roots serve to
nourish the cutting until it can take
care of itself and soon becomes one and
h. ho ~ ha tran 81
sprout from it will bear the same fruit
WHOLE ROOT PROCESS.
This much advertised process does not
differ from piece root, except that the
whole root is used grating in the crown
and using short scion. It's only advan-
tage is that of using harder stocks, as
the tree never has any individuality in
the roots and sprouts therefrom will be
seedlings.
GRATING THE GRAPE.
Take small chisel and drive into the
side of the vine and insert the scion as
in cleft grating to graft above ground.
For grating below ground, simply slash
into one side of the root or base of the
plant and insert the scion with heavier
bevel on the inner side
Grating at all never should be used
where budding can be.
BUDDING.
While budding is far more important
than grating, it don't take half as long
to do it and won't take over half as long
to talk about. During the season of
rapid growth and when the buds are
ripe enough to work well and not bruise
cut the present seasons growth from the
tree you wish to perpetuate and clip of
all leaves, leaving about Lie of an inch
of the leaf stem, then make a straight
cut Just through the bark and length
wise of the tree, then with a rolling turn
of the knife make the cross cut. This
roll of the knife is to open the bark at
the same time of making the cut, then
place the blade of the knife about y
inch below the eye OF the bud and cut
about Il the way to the heart of the
scion, cutting about | "a inches above the
bud, then the rolling cross cut above the
bud and peel the bark of the stick and
insert in the stock, then tie the bark
firmly but not to tightly in place, allow
ing the string to remain only about 10
days. Cherry, dwarf pear, plum, and
some other stocks having very thin
sap, should be budded up, or veneer
budded as it is called. This is done by
making a downward stroke of the knife,
which should be double pointed, and
giving slight turn of the knife opens
the bark while making the cut, then in
sert the knife about of an inch above
the bud and cut down, taking only
enough of the wood to stffen the bud,
and let the knife come out about a of
an inch below the bud, then insert up
instead of down as in bark budding.
Mulberries, nut trees and several of the
ornamentals must be twig budded.
Make the cut in the Seeding, same as
for bark budding, then cut the whole
scion at about "a inch bevel below the
bud and insert as in bark budding.
Having exhausted your nerves with
these two subjects, we will now pass to
the last, longest and most important,
pruning, but will be as brief as possible,
giving rules only.