Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-29
Gardening in Washington

AND ITS ENVIRONS

A knowledge Of grating is no lon.
ger a necessary attribute of the fruit
gardener as il was in the days of our
grandfathers when there were few
nurseries to supply the people =
needs. Yet to many people the art of
inserting a piece of twig into another
tree in such a manner that it Will con-
finue to live and thrive has a certain
appeal. And, from a more practical
viewpoint, the home gardener may
have purchased tree which has
turned out to be of no account.
Rather than cut down the tree and
wait for another to grow, much time
can be saved by top grating the in
terror tree with cionS from good va
rietieS. Possessing a limited area,
one may like to grow two or more
varieties Of pear, apple or cherry on
a single tree. Certain varieties Of
apple, such as the well known Wine
sap and Stayman are not able to set
fruit without pollen from other va
rieties A happy solution for the
home gardener is to graft the limb
of a capable variety, such as Grimes
Golden, into the top of the sterile
tree.
This discussion is timely in that
Spring is the season for grating.
The work may be done almost any
time while the buds are dormant, but
the most favorable time is in March
or early April as the growing season
approaches.
Cleft Grating Easier.
For the amateur cleft grating is the
best and easiest type. In this case,
two limbs are sawed off squarely, pre-
ferably selecting those under two
inches in diameter. With a chisel the
stub is then split partly open. enough
TO insert the cion. Two cions, pieces
of last years wood with three to four
buds and with the thicker end sharp
ened in the form of thin wedge, are
then placed in the split. being extreme
ly careful that the given UNDERTAKE
makes contact on one side at least
with that of the limb The chisel is
then withdrawn, allowing the split
TO close tightly on thhe cions. The
cut surface and the split must then
be covered with grating wax, pro-
cured at the local seed stores. This
prevents the cion from drying out
and diseases from entering.
The cionS Will be two or three.
weeks later in starting growth than
the three's own buds, but usually take
hold in good shape and have been
known to carry fruit to maturity the
very first season. But this is an
undesirable burden on the new cion
and should not be allowed. If sue
cessful. new growth rapidly forms a
solid union between cion and tree
and presto we have the old tree bear
ing a new kind of fruit.
If both cions live, as they generally
DO, the weaker one must be removed.
However, if left for q year or more
the second one will help heal the
original wounds.
In changing Owe tsra q 49,
other variety, it is better to graft a
part of the limbs one season ana the
remainder the next, rather than draa-
tically cut off the entire top at one
time. Three or four seasons will suf-
lice to thoroughly complete the OPP
Grafton.
Pruning Fruit Trees.
Recent investigations at the Mime
sofa and other agricultural stations
have emphatically shown that it
makes no difference exactly what time
in the dormant season that hardly de-
ciduous trees, such as the apple, pear,
cherry and plum, are pruned. Now,
as Spring approaches, the sooner the
better. Certainly trees may well be
pruned before receiving the late Win.
ter spraying of lime, sulphur or oil
~-hoAt7ACiAos AION Willy ~ save spray IIld-
terial, but to enable q more thorough
job. Trees are not cut as hard now
as was the practice in the past, be-
cause well conducted studies have
shown that pruning reduces top and
root growth and delays the commence
ment of bearing. But we must not
allow the pendulum to swing too far
the opposite way. Young trees must
be properly started.
Much can be gained by selecting a
strong framework in the beginning.
With 2-year trees, such as the home
gardener usually obtains, the strong
est upright branch should be left as
leader and three lesser side shoots as
future limbs. These side shoots should
be distributed up and down the trunk
an inch or two apart, avoiding exactly
opposite locations, as such tend to
form weak crotches. The height of
fkrrrT