The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1916-02-04

slightly deeper. The iron wedge ia
then removed from the middle Of the
cleft and the cut surfaces, including
the tip OF the scion, covered with spe-
cially prepared grating wax, care be-
Ing take not to cover the buds. If the
stock is inclined to split further after
the wedge has been removed, it should
be tightly wound with several wrap
pings of a stout, rather coarse late
rial before wax is applied.
Thin calico or cheap muslin saturat-
ed in melted wax, drained and allowed
to cool. makes material which answers
both as a wax and as a binding sub
lance The cloth should be torn into
strips of convenient width before be-
ing Immersed in the liquid. When it
is thoroughly saturated. it should be
taken from the solution and the excess
of hot wax removed.
Another method Of grating is
known in the nursery as whip graft
Ing. This operation is usually per
formed in the latter part of the dor
mant season at some point on the
trunk which may be Immediately be-
low the surface or several inches un-
foreground. The stock and the scion
should be very nearly the same size
and preferably not more than three
fourths of an inch in diameter. With
the knife held SO as to make an uD-
ward stroke. cut the stock entirely
across at a long angle. About one
third Of the distance from the upper
nn6 IF tI1 ar -o,
parallel with the grain. Cut the scion
at as nearly the same angle as possi-
bic and make IL similar incisicn in the
cut surface. Push the cut surfaces to-
gether In such a way that the tongue
of the scion made by the incision will
be crowded into the groove made by
he lncision in the stock. Bind the
two parts together with raf1a or other
material and pack firmly with earth.
In this process the use of wax is not
necessary. In some respects budded
trees are preferable to grated ones
and it is probable that more pecan
trees have been p~ropagated by annular
budding in some form than by all 9th.
er methods combined. This process is
performed during the summer at the
time when the bark slips or neels the
most readily. Annular budding con.
sists in transferring a ring Of bark
cut from a bud stick of the desired va
riety to which a bud is attached to
the trunk or branch of another tree
to a k the place of a similar ring of
bark previously removed. Specially
designed tools are used for the pur-
pose of cutting the rings. After the
two rings have been exchanged the
stock should be wrapped at once with
wax cloth, care being taken not to
cover the bu[..
With the annular method it is nee
essary to nav stock and scion of an
proximately the same size. If the bud
stick is slightly larger than the stock.
a portion of the bark to which the bud
is attached may be cut away SO that
the two ends of the ring just meet
around h stock. If the bud stick is
smaller than the stock, a strip of bark
on the latter may be left In position
to complete the ring. In actual prac-
tice this is very frequently done and
Is known as patch budding.
The propagation Of pecans is Of par.
ticular importance because 1t is essen
tial to success that the right varieties
be grown in the best localities. A list
Of these varieties and the localities to
which they are best suited is con.
tanned in the bulletin already men
toned.