deer

I was out raking brush from under the trees the other day, it was gorgeous out with a slight breeze and the sun shining.  The next row over, almost glowing, sat a shed.

A four-point shed, which may have come off a nice eight-point (as there were a couple roaming around this year).  We don't find many sheds as nice as this one.  Usually, we find them with the mower, or the squirrels have started chewing on them.  Throughout the years, we've made ourselves a little pile with them.  Saving them for some project.
Deer do roam the Orchard, and, no, we don't allow folks to come out and hunt.  We like taking some time each fall and winter to try our own hand at hunting!
As gorgeous an animal they are, they can devastate an orchard.
This is a three-year-old tree, that they found last November.

They rubbed it raw.  And, the branches...

found below the tree.  Littering the same ground that used to hold their shadow.
Monetarily, we're out a couple hundred dollars (between the cost of the tree, planting the tree, maintenance, etc.).  It's a bummer, but the time is the killer with tree loss.
It took three years to get it there, and now we'll have to take another three years to get it back to where it was in height and size.  We generally start harvesting a few apples at years 4 and 5.  It would have had a little crop this year!

Tree Grafting

Last month, we spent some time with David Doud, who helped guide us through a new experience:  tree grafting! With his help, we learned how to and eventually grafted 200 new trees (and soon we'll get to see how well we did).
So, we'd like to share some pictures and notes of what we did:
The first step to grafting is selecting the scion wood.  This is the tree that you would like to propagate (as apple trees are not started by seed).  The scion wood needs to be disease-free and young growth, and it is collected while still dormant.  Keep the wood moist and cool, stored in a place away from apples (the rootstock needs to be kept the same way when it arrives).

With the scion wood secured, it is time to get materials ready for the arrival of the rootstock (which should be planned for early Spring).  You won't need but a few tools:  grafting knife, grafting wax and rubber budding strips.
When the rootstock comes in, it is time to get busy.
You'll want to heat the wax, so it can be brushed on to the graft union, sealing the graft from the environment, keeping it from drying.  We plugged in the heater my wife uses for encaustic painting.  Fill the heater with water, and drop some beeswax into a tin can.  This takes a bit of time; so, make this step one on grafting day.
Select a rootstock and a scion, at an angle pull the knife quickly and steadily on the scion.  Now, repeat for the rootstock.  Try to make sure the cuts line up well together.

Next, about halfway down on each cut, make a cut back toward the base of the roots on the rootstock or toward the top of the scion on the wood.

This is more of a slip-cut, mechanical.  Put the two together, matching up the cut-backs.

With the rootstock and scion slipped together, wrap the budding strip around them, tying a little knot on one end. 

Paint the strip with wax making sure to cover any bit of wood that may be showing.
After the union is painted with wax, it is time to plant.  We potted our little trees in one-gallon containers that we can keep close to the barn and bring indoors if it gets too cold.  Later in the season, we will prepare some soil, and plant them in the Orchard.