Mexico Missouri message., 1913-09-11

In a most interesting and instruc-
tive treatise on top grating fruit
trees, Prof o. B. Whipple, of the
Colorado experiment station. says it
is becoming more and more apparent
that certain localities and soils are
peculiarly adapted to growing partic-
ular kinds and even varieties of fruit.
Commercial fruit.growing localities
are making their reputation by being
able to grow their few varieties we'll
There comes a time then when the
grower will have to solve the prob
lem as to what to do with the unde-
sirable varieties. Shall he pull them
out or graft them over to better varie-
ties?
It has been proven by long expert
ence that IL properly done the graft
ing over of old trees by top working
brings quicker returns than the re-
planting of young trees. In fact, it
is not uncommon to see fairly good
crop on the three-year-old top of top
worked tree.
Trees properly worked over give
crops which are sometimes more de-
siTable than trees of the same variety
grown from first class nursery stock.
Top working, as a means of estab-
fishing a weak-growing variety on a
stronger root system than it's own
is now coming into favor. For in
stance. the Rome Beauty when on its
own roots, is on the best soil an in
different grower, but when worked on
some strong-growing stump it makes
very satisfactory tree.
The practice OF grating is not a
mysterious art as many suppose, but
is so simple that any careful or
All common fruit trees can easily be
budded or grated.
The apple and pear may be inter
grated upon each other and this is
true OF the peach, plum, apricot and
almond. However, such wholesale
mixing is not good in practice, and the
pear and apple never make a good
union.
Peach gratis start vigorously upon
apricots and plums upon the peach
trees. Professor Whipple says he has
seen plum trees top-worked to peach
trees with perfect unions and the ten
year-old tops bearing excellent crops.
Growth in diameter of the tree only
takes place in a very small region
between the bark and the sap wood.
This part OF the stem is called the
cambium and in this thin layer of
tissue the cells are still active while
the activity of each succeeding layer
on each side grows less and less.
The important point in grating is
to see that the cambium layers of
the stock and the cion are matched
at some point When the growth is
active we say the bark 'peels." Bud
ding is done during this period, not
only because the ease with which the
bark separates from the wood simplI-
fies the work of inserting the bud, but
as the growth is more active the It's
sues of the bud and the stock are
more likely to unite.
1t does not pay to graft trees which
show poor growth, and II seldom pays
to top work any crab. 1t is also ques-
tionable as to whether 1t pays to top
work stone fruits. While good tops
may be grown on either peach, apricot
or almond, 1t is doubtful whether
these crops will bear much quicker
returns than young trees set in the
place of the old ones.
There are various methods of graft
age, the most common in the west be-
Ing cleft and curf grating. These
operations are simple and are known
TO most orchadists.
In cleft grating, the limb is sawed
on squarely, the stub split down about
two inches with the grating chisel
and the cleft is wedged open with
the wedge on the back of knife and
the cion inserted as a wedge.
The first bud should be left little
below the top OF the wedge, cutting
The edge of the wedge opposite the