Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 41st Annual Meeting Part 34

By holding the chestnuts under refrigeration and not planting in the fall I have kept my plantings free of the chestnut weevils.

I found that by planting the flat side down, the stem seems to go down very easily, and the sprout coming up from it seems to go up more easily, also.

Discussion

MR. RICK: Are they planted permanently in the can?

MR. SZEGO: Yes, they are planted in the can. The can will disintegrate in two or three years.

MR. RICK: Don't you have those in rows?

MR. SZEGO: No, I sometimes place them on the gra.s.s. The morning dew seems to provide enough moisture to carry through the dry spells. But, again, I live in a mountainous area. This may not apply out in Oklahoma.

MR. CHASE: Next on the program is a demonstration of his method of propagating nut trees in pots in the greenhouse by Mr. Bernath, who has been very successful with this method. Mr. Bernath.

Demonstration of Method of Propagating Nut Trees in Greenhouse

STEPHEN BERNATH, Poughkeepsie, N. Y.

Here is the way I handle the nut trees when we propagate under gla.s.s in the greenhouse. These are two-year seedlings potted up. That root is cut away and any large lateral roots that are too large to bend well we cut them off, and we take all the fibrous roots we can and put them in this pot. Put your soil around it first, and when you have it nearly full, just the same as if you take your son and lay him on your knee and spank the b.u.t.t good and put the soil around the roots. Then pack it with your thumb and your potting is done.

(Taking scion) I use only one bud. One bud is good as a dozen.

(Cutting-with pruning knife.)

MR. WEBER: How do you cut above the bud that you use above the graft?

MR. BERNATH: If the nodes are far enough apart I put it farther, but I like to put it as short as I can but allow not less than half inch or an inch or more on top, and you cut it away after the union has taken and the growth started. Sometimes some of them may have a growth of two inches before you take them out of the case. They are not uniform. Some of them are way in advance of some of the others. Some of them are tardy, slow.

This is my budding knife, here, which is about 40 years old.

MR. CHASE: The question is asked, this isn't the time of year that you would do this, is it?

MR. BERNATH: No, sir. I start in January. You can continue into April.

You can take a batch out and put another batch in.

MR. RICK: How many weeks, usually, before you graft, after these are put in the case?

MR. BERNATH: I would say that with most of your varieties it's from four to six weeks, with the exception of ornamentals. That will take six to eight, sometimes longer, but nut trees generally come on quickly. I have known them to have two inches of growth, I think, in three weeks.

(Sharpening knife.)

A MEMBER: You are like the violinist. You have to tune up first.

MR. BERNATH: Yes, and never forget to wipe your knife. And remember not to put your finger on the fresh cut. (Cutting). Here is the cut before I insert the scion. In cutting your scion wood, now here is the b.u.t.t. Cut on the inside. When you cut on this side it throws the bud a little bit far out because it's on an angle. You know about the depth of the cut here, and you go like this: (Cutting).

A MEMBER: Do you come down to a pretty good point?

MR. BERNATH: (Holding up scion.)

A MEMBER: Is that a side graft you are making there?

MR. BERNATH: Yes. (Inserting scion in cut.) Now, on this one I am going to use a rubber strip.

DR. MacDANIELS: Hold it up so we can see the whole thing as you have it stuck in there. That is a side graft with the bud next to the stock.

MR. BERNATH: That's right.

MR. RICK: The scion was cut on both sides, was it, or one side?

MR, BERNATH: Yes, on both sides.

MR. WEBER: Wedge shape.

MR. KINTZEL: An inch below the bud.

MR. BERNATH: (Wrapping graft) Here is where your thumb comes into play.

As you put this on, start right here (stretching rubber). See how far that can stretch? You cross it and you can take your finger off. Now release it. Have your finger on it. Put this finger right here. All right, you see you get under, pull right up there. There it is, the graft is done.

MR. EMERSON: You don't use any wax?

MR. BERNATH: No wax whatsoever. Never use any.

MR. CORSAN: Or any latex?

MR. BERNATH: No, nothing at all.

MR. RICK: How do you slope this?

MR. BERNATH: I have a little, miniature box here, and that would represent a bench in the greenhouse. (Demonstrating).

Here is another one (taking another scion).

MR. CORSAN: That's used by dentists and plastic surgeons.

MR. BERNATH: Now watch the difference. If the scion wood happened to be smaller than your stock, you cut accordingly. In other words, you are not going in as far. See (showing). Or else you can cross it. Now, just a minute, we will get that (making cut in stock; slicing scion off diagonally). You don't go up as high on this side. Now, then, you take it, if you are a pretty good hand with a knife. That's all right, even if it's not shaped at all. There it is (inserting in cut). But one thing--I want to warn you, if you want to follow this, be careful not to rub the bud off in handling it. If you do, you might as well throw it away, because you are licked.

MR. WEBER: That is one reason for having the bud face the stock?

MR. BERNATH: No, but makes a better growth.

Persian walnut, I find, unless it's way far down on the trunk of a tree, will not form advent.i.tious buds. Now, you can do it with a chestnut. You can rub the main bud off and you will find two or three of them coming, or more, right around that place. But one of these walnuts will not form an advent.i.tious bud, so you might as well throw it away, or if you knock off even the new growth on it, you might as well dump it, because it will not form a tree.

Now here is a tape that I use.