The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-03-01

The wood will heal much better with
scion on each side At the end of
one year cut off one of the gratis but
be careful not to cut it off too close
to the union. If the limb cut off is
more than two inches in diameter it
is a good plan to insert three or four
gratis and then in time cut off all
not needed. 1t is better not to split
such large limbs but to practice what
is called crown grating. The bark
Is slit and the scion, shaped with the
cutting all on one side, is pushed
down under the bark with the cut
side next to the limb. With us more
than ninety per cent of the graft
grows. Remember that the part OF
the graft just under the bark must
come in contact with the part in the
stock Just inside the bark is what
is called the cambium layer The
cambuim layers of the scion and
stock must come together or no
growth will result. The graft must
be kept in place so that it will not be
moved. In cleft grating no tying Is
needed, but with some forms OF graft
ing this is necessary. Be sure that
the graft will not be moved.
More failures in grating result
from imperfect waxing than all other
causes combined. Every one who
attempts to graft Tin the horticul-
tural sense, of course), must re-
member two very important things.
One is to have the cambium layers
of the graft and the stock come to-
gether and kept there; and the other
is to exclude the air completely for
the first summer In all top-grafting
wax is used for this purpose. 1t must
be in pliable condition, and must
neither crack nor melt with the hot
sun. The way we make grating wax
is to use one and One-half pounds
each of tallow and beeswax and ten
pounds of resin. These must be
melted together in pot or pan and
the mixture should be poured out into
a tub of cold water. Before this wax
gets hard it should be worked by
pulling with the hands. 1t will be
hard after it cOols. Before using it
must be melted and should be applied
to the trees while hot. We use small
paddle in applying the wax. This
wax will keep out the air during the
first summer and after that it will
not be needed Our success in graft
ing and waxing as here described has
proven a phenomenal one. We have
done great deal of top-working dur
ing the past few years and if there
is another Orchardist in Washington
that has made a more complete sue
cess than we have l do not know of
his work. We aScribe our success
more to the use of the wax here de-
scribed than to any thing else. We
sometimes break in new hands and by
little watching on our part they
succeed admirably.
A postal card from one of my sons
on our fruit ranch in the Yakima val
ley, dated February IS, says: mo
damage to fruit buds at ALL" What
is true in the Yakima valley is doubt
less true in other parts of the State.
Peaches are sometimes injured in the
bud but apples rarely are.
Charles Waters, of Portland, Ore,
who claims to have furnished John
F. Spencer with his start of the "seed-
less, bloomless, coreless, worthless
APPLE" writes me that he had a letter
from a man in the Yakima valley who
had paid $40 for twenty trees of this
apple. 1t is dollars to doughnuts that
that man does not read The Ranch
or he would have saved $39.75 and
would have bought but one tree, and
that one from Charles Waters.
| have recently read of a man who
says that he gave up the use of liquid
spray and now uses the dust spray
because it is cheaper. There is moth
ing like the zeal of a new convert.
One of the chief objections l have al
ways heard against the dust spray is
it's dirtiness. The man who does the
| dust SnraYinp ON Our ranch has TO