Bench Grafting
In 1932, on account of the difficulties in outdoor grafting of the walnut, the author became interested in bench grafting of walnuts in the greenhouse as a means of supplementing outdoor grafting. However, like many other so-called new methods, it was discovered when we looked up the literature in 1937 that William P. Corsa[3] had used methods that were similar about 1896. He cut off the seedling above the crown instead of below the crown as we did. The completed graft was packed in layers of sphagnum and placed in an incubator instead of using a greenhouse.
Notwithstanding all that has been done in black walnut grafting, the straight grained and brittle wood, the heavy sap flow, the almost instant oxidation of cut tissues, the liability to frost injury in the North in short seasons lowering vitality of scions, all combine to make walnut grafting with best methods available, a seasonal gamble.
Literature Cited
1. AMERICAN NUT JOURNAL
Life of J. F. Jones. Am. Nut Jour. 28:35, 1928
2. BUDD, J. L.
Hot Waxing of Apple Grafts. Trans. Iowa Hort. Soc. 14:421. 1879
3. CORSA, WILLIAM P.
USDA, Div. of Pom., Nut Culture of the United States. pp. 13-16,
58. 1896
4. FULLER, ANDREW S.
Nut Culturist. 1896
5. HERSHEY, JOHN W.
Life of J. F. Jones. The Nut Grower. 4:22, 1928
6. INSTITUT FUR OBSTBAU, BERLIN
Die Walnusz verediung. (Vegetative Propagation of Walnuts.)
Merkbl. Inst. Obstb. Berlin 5, pp. 15, 1936