A LESSON IN HOW TO BE A GRAFTER
188
ingood condition,
but,whilethesoil
contains
more moisture
than
that in the mist-irrigated plot, tip growth of foliage is not as active.
Conclusions---As a result of observations of mist-irrigated plants
in this preliminary 10-day test under abnormally hot and dry
weather conditions, it would appear that mist irrigation has great
potentialities.
Questions--In view of the fact that the plants in the mistirrigated plot are heavily mulched, will sufficient moisture penetrato
into the ground to encourage root growth?
Will the plants growing in the mist-irrigated plot set their normal
complement of flower buds?
The answers to these, and other questions, can be feund only
through further investigations. Perhaps, next year, I may be in a
position to answer some of them.
A LESSON IN HOW TO BE A GRAFTER
BUXTON
WHITE,
Elizabeth
City, North
C_trolina
EVERAL members of the Men's Horticultural Society of the
Albemarle at Elizabeth City, North Carolina, turned out
one day in early March 1956, for special training. They
resorted to graft in a big way without compunction.
In fact, it was a field-day course in the fine art and technique
of grafting, under the tutorship of tile most highly skilled and
experienced grafter of the Albemarle section, none other than the
immediate past president of the Society, Irvin Nixon. (Now, don't
get me wrong--it's plant grafting I'm talking about. )
Skipping elementary stages, normally undertaken by novices,
these would-be grafters in their zeal for accomplisbanent started off
running before they had learned to crawl. Such overambition is
prone to pitfalls. So they have been keeping their fingers crossed
awaiting the outcome.
The victim of this grafting spree was one of three plants brought
to Elizabeth City 80 odd years ago, when camellias were a rarity
in these parts. They were ordered from Charleston, South Carolina, by Mrs. S. J. Twine and planted by Mr. Twine back of their
home on Locust Street. Here they thrived and grew to huge size.
134
AMERICAN CAMELLIA YEARBOOK
Fig. g4. Preparing the stock. W. Irving Nixon, operator, Edgar I. Lambert
(left) and Buxton White (rightl, supervisors.
Two of tile originals remain, a Sarah Frost and a Variabilis, t and
cover themselves with many thousands of blooms each spring.
In between was tire third plant, varietal name not known. The
blooms were inferior, and it was probably for that reason no one
cared about giving it a name. The plants grew to a considerable
size and became crowded. Mr. Twine wanted to get rid of the
middle one, and I was the only taker he could find. I paid him
$15.00 [or the plant, and spent $75.00 for moving tile sizeable bush
to Whitehall. That was eight years ago. Since that time growth
on the other two camellias has about lapped tile space formerly
occupied by the unknown variety.
To settle a road routing dispute with a neighbor, the old Twine
camellia (so called for lack of a better name) was moved a second
time. On at least two occasions uninvited visitors backed automobiles into the plant when turning around and damaging breakage
of branches was suffered. So much roughing seemed only to
toughen the plant's determination to live and bloom.
The &merman Camelha Soemty s Committee on Nomenclature has approved
the name "Horkan" for this variety. Other synonyms are Mille Beau and Rena
Campbell.--ED.
A LESSON IN HOW TO BE A GRAFTER
185
But its strong-willed lease on life could not improve the mediocre
double-red flower form that it inherited. This characteristic was
one of which my flower-arranging ladylove did not approve. As
always, striving to please the girl-friend, I decided to attempt a
surgical c_rreetion of her objeetion,
At a meeting of the Men's Horticultural Society of the Albemarle
I invited the members attending to join me in a top-working job
on the persevering Twine camellia. For the experience, half a
dozen accepted, and half of those did show up at the appointed
time--W. Irvin Nixon and two Lambert brothers, Leon and Edgar.
What was expected to be accemplished in a couple of hours
stretched out through a full afternoon of steady, enjoyable team-
Fig. 3,5.
Smoothing the ends of tbe 52 cut branches
136
AMERICAN CAMELLIA
YEAI:',BOOK
Fig. 86. ivlr.Nixoa and Mr. Lambert line uI_earahi_tm
stock undei the direction o_ Mr, "_Vhite (center),
layers
of scionsand
work--with one pause for refreshing, And the finishing touches
bad to be completed the next morning. Amputation of limbs down
to a framework six or so feet high left a skeleton devoid of lea_
or twig. A truckload of tops, carrying thousands of opening bloom
buds, was hauled away. Fifty-t'_o branch ends remained.
The
saw-cut stubs were smoothed with a sharp knife. A cleaver and
hammer were used to split tile ends of the branch stubs.
The terminals of last year's growth were out from desirablo
vaNeties of camellias, These were prepared as scions by sloping
cuts with a single-edged razor blade to form a long wedge. A
growth bud and one leaf were left at the end of each two-inch scion.
A slender screw driver was inserted to open the slit in the sttlb,
Where thickness of stuck permitted, two scions, one on each side,
were forced down into the opening. Only one scion was used in
the smaller stubs, and a rubber band was bound around to increase
tension su_ciently to bold the graft in plaee.
Next, a loop of florists' wire was tied in place with string as a
protection agai, st disturbance of the scions. (Voice of experience:
Don't use florists' wire; it's too flimsy. Get a stiffer kind.) A wad
of wet sphagnum moss was packed around the graft and held in
place by a rubber band.
A LESSON IN HOW TO BE A GRAFTER
187
Then a plastic bag was slipped over the wire guard, gathered
together around the stub just below the prepared graft_ and tightly
tied with twine. Upon completion of the job, the bagged brancb
ends gave the general appearance of a mammoth "lollypop" tree.
After working each of the branches, the final step was construction
of a framing around the entire top-worked plant and covering it
with thin burlap for shading against sunburn.
The photographer for a local newspaper was expected to come
out and get pictures of the operation. He couldn't make it, so sent
his camera. With it the grafters attempted to eaptnre the picture
story. The results are shown by the accompanying illustrations
(Figs. 84, ;35,;36, ;37 and 88). They could he mucb worse.
The most exacting part of tile procedure was meticulous align-
Fig, 37. Scions were fixed in place bv wire guards, wrapped
moss, anrl covered with plastic bags.
in sphagnum
138
AMERICAN CAMELLIA
Fig.
YEARBOOK
38. The end of the lesson
merit of tile calnhium layers (just under the bark) so that sap from
the stock would ttow into the inserted scion, in order for a growth
union to be formed. When properly established, new growth,
forced by heavy, sap flow frmn the large root system, should be
rapid. Before growth beemnes restricted by the plastie bags, the
ends will be opened to let the scions push through.
About 90 scions were used in grafting the 52 branches. Most
of them were taken frmn different varieties, largely at random, with
very few duplicates. Even the two scions placed in a single stock
were not of the same variety.
With the presumption that possibly fifty per cent of the grafts
take and grow, another season may bring the start of a "crazy
A LESSON IN HOW TO BE A GRAFTER
189
quilt" in color, size and form. The "ugly duckling" may yet become
transformed into a gaily plumaged "bird of paradise," ff the operation proves successful.
The anxiously watched patient responded promisingly. Scionbuds swelled and burst into growth, and it appeared that the hoped
for majority take might be exceeded. Then came the storm--a
powerful northeaster that tried to blow the sun-shade down. The
flapping and slapping of the burlap cover caused considerable
damage by knocking scions on a number of outside grafts out of
place. The florists" wire used in making the guards did not have
the strength to offer protection.
Fig. 39.
Mr. White appraises
injury of scions foIlowing a storm
140
AMERICAN CAMELLIA YEARBOOK
Since this setback, a thirty per cent settlement on the original
account would be gladly accepted as final (Fig. 39). Even that
should be sui_cient for producing a "Joseph's coat" camellia plant.
And another attempt will be made to rework the branch ends that
failed to take the first graft attempts. Doctors may be taught
theories but they learn from experience of practice.
The conglomeration of many hued and formed flowers emanating
from the one plant should provide a man-made freak of nature at
least. It could serve a useful purpose for comparison and identification of a number of varieties at a one-stop location.
But purely in a personal sense, its most useful purpose would
be the conversion of dissatisfaction into pleasure for my fair lady.
I hope to see her pick and choose and cut to her heart's delight
from the old "Twine" camellia that she once disdained. Well, you
should give me an "A" for effort anyway!
POLYEMBRYONY IN CAMELLIA
JAPONICA
R. H. HANCHEY, J. R. KING anti W. D. KIMBROUGH 1
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
SIMPLE definition for the term polyombryony is: the production of two or more embryos within a single ovule.
Seeds which have polyembryony may each produce several
seedlings. Leeuwcnhoek in 1719 was the first to report the occurrence of polyembryony when he found several seeds, each of which
contained two embryos. More recent workers have shown that this
condition is common in citrus, and is also present in many different
species of plants. Polyembryony in the genus Camell_ has not
been reported elsewhere, as far as is known by the authors; however, observation of multiple plumules in greenhouse seedlings at
Louisiana State University has left no doubt as to the presence
of this condition in this genus (Figs. 40 and 41). As many as four
plumules per seed were found.
Since there are various types of polyembryony in seed-bearing
plants, it is now a question as to which type is present in camellias.
1 Dr. Hanchey, Dr. King and Dr. Kimbrough occupy the positions of Horticulturist, Agricultural Experiment
Station, Louisiana State University.
Dr.
Hanchey and Dr. Kimbrough are also Professors of Horticulture at the same
institution,