Grafting.
I did a little grafting last spring, and as it was my first attempt,
about ten per cent of the scions failed to grow. Now shall I saw the
stub off lower down and try again, or bud into one of the sprouts that
have grown around the cut end? The trees are pear and cherry.
You did very well as a beginner not to lose more than one-tenth. Saw off
below and graft again. You might have budded into one of those shoots
last July, and if you fail again, bud into the new shoots next summer.
Filling Holes in Trees.
I have a number of trees that, on account of poor pruning and improper
care, are decaying in the center. Many of them are hollow for a foot or
more down the trunk.
Excavate all the decayed wood with a chisel or gouge or whatever cutting
tool may work well and fill the cavity with Portland cement in such a
way as to exclude moisture. This will prolong the life and
productiveness of the trees for many years if other conditions are
favorable.
Deferring Bloom of Fruit Trees.
Have any experiments ever been carried on definitely to decide what
causes early blossoming of fruit trees? For instance, have adjacent
trees of the same variety been treated definitely by putting a heavy
mulch around one to hold the cold temperature late in the spring,
leaving the other tree unmulched so the roots could warm up?
It has been definitely determined by the experiments of Professor
Whidden of the Missouri Experiment Station that the swelling of the buds
and starting of the foliage of fruit trees is due to the action of heat
upon the aerial parts of the trees; that is, growth is not caused by
increasing the temperature of the ground and cannot be retarded by
cooling the ground.
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