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["tanis cuff" <tanistanis@hotmail.com>]

Continuation of/ please refer to "grafting results" June 21, and "grafting 
basics" March 21.

I did another eval in mid-July, and another in early Sept.

JULY :

The rubber electricians splicing tape, used to bind grafts in mid May, was 
splitting on the faster-growing graft unions.  (This in reply to who ever 
asked how long the tape lasts.  I should also mention most of the tape is 
still on all my 2003 grafts, altho it is certainly no longer binding any of 
them.)

Purchased-scion grafts are slower, on average, than those of my 
own-collected scion.  Also, grafts on MM111 are generally not as "happy" as 
grafts on Bud.118.  Each of these apparent trends are probably due to 
several factors, and my small nursery is NO WAY large enough to make solid 
statements about cause & effect.

Scab infection very obvious on many of the grafts' growth, somewhat on the 
MM111 'stock, but hardly at all on Bud.118 stock.  (Disease ID not confirmed 
by lab test nor other grower.)

SEPT :

Several grafts which looked slow or sad in July now look better than the 
July good stuff. 14%.  Especially the PURCHASED scions now look better than 
my own collected scions.

Grafts which were disappointing in July, still so in Sept, approx 16%.  Just 
looking at MM111, this figure is 25%

Looked good in July, but WORSE in Sept: 2%

The most growth of any graft was 25", on a MM111 graft, altho overall this 
rootstock was not as accommodating to scions as Bud.118.

Number of grafts with no growth is zero, but proportion of grafts w/ so 
little growth I don't expect growth next year is 2 or 3 %

Much stunting and curling-under of grafts' leaves, especially the first half 
of the season's growth.  'Sweet 16' is the most effected.  Also some of the 
MM111s which were so slow to break dormancy this spring that I decided not 
to graft onto them.  (Isn't MM111 clonal, so all should show the same 
disease responses?)

AND THE PEARS :

Despite these grafts' alarmingly tender & fast growth, they showed very 
little if any disease.  They all look great, except for one failure and one 
slow (group not large enough to state a real percentage).

Tanis Cuff, s.WI, light soil which is decent w/ enough water.

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