The Pecan and its Culture

by H. Harold Hume

Plate IV. A Pecan Nursery. Photo by J. F. Jones.

The Necessary Materials and Tools.

The materials and tools used in grafting and budding are: a grafting iron, a mallet, budding knives, grafting wax, strips of waxed cloth and twine.

Fig. 17. Grafting Iron.

Of grafting irons there are a number of different kinds, but one after the general type shown in Fig. 17, works very well. It will be noticed that the blade is curved at the corners, and the edge instead of being straight is curved downward in the center. This type of blade in some measure prevents the bruising of the bark when splitting the branch in cleft-grafting. Such a grafting iron may be made by almost any blacksmith. However, a good stout knife may be used instead.

Fig. 18. Common Budding Knife.

For use in grafting, an ordinary budding knife, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 18, is well nigh indispensable. No other knife is so well adapted to making the smooth, sloping cuts on the scions.