The Springdale news., 1917-03-16

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 or small limbs to connect the ean- blum above and below q large wound or girdled strip, may be practiced sue cessfully on almost any kind of fruit tree that can be propagated readily by grating It is used more often with the apple than any other fruit, but pear trees often are treated ln this way, especially in certain sec tions. There seems to be no reason why the method should not also be successful on piur1s and cherries. Peaches, however, graft less readily and there may be some question as to 1 the usefulness of the method in the case of this fruit.
 Mechanical injuries which may be remedied are usually inflicted by ani- mals, by burrowing insects or by inn plements carelessly used. Various dis eases, such as pear blight. also cause local injuries which may call for bridge grating. The trunks of pear trees are not infrequently completely girdled and killed by pear blight. Bridge grating, if done in time, how ever, may save the tree. The method also is useful when large areas of bark have been killed by sun scald or other l troubles. Protection of trees against rabbits and mice and disease is, of course, better than having to bridge graft to overcome damage.
 Grating in Spring.
 To be effective, bridge grating l -l,O growth starts, though sometimes it can 1 be done after growth starts if dormant scions for the purpose can be secured
 Prepare the wound in the tree by cutting away all dead tissue and thor oughly cleansing the injured parts. If possible, sterilize by washing with solution of bichloride of mercury, cop per sulphate, or some other antiseptic. The irregular edges of the bark above the girdled tract or wound should be cut back into an even edge, far enough from the wound to make certain that healthy eambium is under the bark.
 For the grating, select scionS from wood of the previous seasons growth, either branches which grew the pre- | are only year old. The seions should be little longer than the space which is to be bridged, so they will arch slightly over the central part of the wound.
 Bevel the scions at each end of the same side of the scion with a long sloping cut so that the wedge shaped hn ixn thin and permit their being thrust well under the bark without danger of sep arating it unduly from the cambium at the points of insertion. The placing of the scions will be facilitated if the bark at the margins Of the wound is slit for a short distance at the points where the ends are to be inserted.
 Placing seions.
 In placing the scions it is of the greatest importance that the cambium
 of the seions which is exposed in the sloping cuts at the ends be brought
 Into intimate contact with the cam
 blum that lies under the bark at the
 margins of the wounded area. The i, union of scion and tree can occur only where the cambium layers of the two ! come together. The scions may be
 secured in their proper positions, if need be, by driving small nail through each end into the trunk. This
 will aid in drawing the cambium of
 scion and trunk closely together.
 The operation is completed by thor oughly covering the area occupied by the ends of the seions and the mar
 gins of the wound with grafung wax, strips of waxed cloth, or by some oth- er means that adequately will prevent these parts from drying out. Some op- orators cover the entire wound, scions . and all, with melted wax. Where the l oridged portion is below or near the s ground, many operators conserve mois- 9 ture by covering the grafts with earth @ Another Method.
 ' Where the wound is so large as tC
 make ordinary bridge grating impos- e sible, another method of bridging may !. De used. Two-year-old trees are plant :, ad about the base of the injured trees . and their tops grafted into it's trunk above the girdled space, which has irst been cleaned as in the other meth = od. As the tops of the small trees art e :oo large to manipulate readily in th' T manner described for scions, Vshapet a vertical grooves extending through tn l. cambium are cut just above the wound V ed area in the bark of the tree to b. '. treated. The tops of the small tree
 are shaped to correspond with thes j. grooves The two are then accuratel, 2 fitted together in such q manner as t