Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Eleventh Annual Meeting: Washington, D. C. October 7 and 8, 1920
Science
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Eleventh Annual Meeting: Washington, D. C. October 7 and 8, 1920
Northern Nut Growers Association -- Periodicals; Nut trees -- Periodicals; Nuts -- Periodicals
By means of the bark slot method of grafting grafts may be inserted in
any part of a hickory tree. The bark slot method consists in using a
chisel and mallet for cutting parallel lines the width of the scion in
the bark of the stock. The tongue of bark between the parallel lines is
pried outward with the point of the chisel until the scion has been
inserted next the wood and the tongue of bark is then allowed to return
to place, leaving the scion interposed between the tongue of bark and
the wood. Rules which apply to the shagbark may be applied to all of the
hickories with which I have experimented. When cutting back the limbs in
preparation for topworking it is well to leave as many as possible of
stubs or branches of small diameter. Branches of small diameter may be
grafted by ordinary cleft grafting methods but branches of larger
diameter should be treated by the bark slot method. At the present time
and in the locality of my country place at Stamford, Connecticut, melted
paraffin suffices in place of grafting wax and melted paraffin is
brushed over the entire scion, buds and all, as well as over the wound
in the stock.
The time for cutting back hickories in preparation for topworking is
probably important and in my experience to date, autumn cutting is
preferable. The reason is that a good deal of activity is going on in
the tree before it enters into a state of winter rest and wounds are
pretty well repaired. In winter cutting there is some danger of
incomplete repair and in the springtime the free flow of sap invites the
entrance of various enemies, bacterial and fungous. Summer cutting
according to the laws of plant physiology would cause more shock to the
tree than cutting at any other time, although practically I have done
this successfully. Without regard to season for cutting in preparation
for topworking it is very important to trim cut ends very smoothly with
a sharp knife in order to remove ragged tissue left by the saw. It is
difficult to persuade employees to do this and it will not be done as a
rule unless the owner looks after the matter personally. The smoothly
trimmed end of the cut branch should immediately be protected with white
paint, melted paraffin, or some other protective covering.
What are the disadvantages of the slot bark method of topworking
hickories? The scion does not have such a secure hold upon the stock as
it does in cleft grafting and it will blow out in a high wind unless it
is protected by braces. I have found it not harmful to a tree to fasten
laths to the stock for holding the growing scion, driving galvanized
iron nails through the lath directly into the stock. Unless growing
grafts are well braced by some method the entire season's work may be
lost in two minutes of a gale preceding a thunderstorm in summer. By the
slot bark method, in other words, we may catch more grafts and lose more
grafts than by any other method with which I am familiar, but the loss
may be avoided by proper attention.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account