Dr. Deming, former Secretary of this Association, did much good work and secured some fine nuts worthy of propagation, through advertising and the offering of premiums, and Mr. Bixby, who very kindly took up this work when Dr. Deming was called to the colors, has been active and is doing a great work for northern nut culture.
President Reed: We will now have a grafting demonstration by Mr. Jones.
Mr. Jones had brought with him specimens of stock, scions and all the materials and tools needed for the demonstration, and performed the various operations of grafting and budding before the audience.
Mr. Jones: We often use scions half or three-fourths of an inch in diameter, for grafting, but they are rather hard to get. In top working, we generally take limbs two to four inches in diameter, cut them off, and split the bark. The nut grafting must all be done late when the sap is up in the trees. Cut the scions all on one side. Split the bark, slip in the scion, tie up and wax the whole scion over with grafting wax, put it on hot and seal it up tight. Sometimes for winter protection of the English walnut as far north as Michigan your tip might kill back because it grows so very fast and is sappy. I have never
Pecans from Burlington, Ia
had trees kill in that way, but I do have many people write me that they have trees killed in that way. In nursery grafting, we usually use just the cleft method. You should cut the cleft on one side and don't split it, but keep it smooth all the way through.
President Reed: You get better results, Mr. Jones, from waxing the entire scion?
Mr. Jones: Yes, we get better results that way. In the South we have no success at all that way; we have to cover them with sacks.
Voice: About what degree of heat is best for the wax?