The necessity to protect graft unions by excluding air and moisture from
cut plant tissue led to the use of balls of mud in ancient times. Later,
various kinds of waxes were used.
In 1879, Prof. J. L. Budd[2], head of the Horticultural Department at
Iowa State College, using resin and linseed oil, side grafted 150
varieties of Russian apples received from the interior of Russia in the
winter of 1878. A boy swabbed hot wax on the grafts, using a lantern
heater not too different from those used nowadays.
Mr. F. O. Harrington and Mr. S. W. Snyder, Iowa nurserymen were teaching
grafting to members of the Iowa Horticultural Society in 1900, 1901 and
1902, at their annual meetings. Mr. J. B. McLaughlin[9], College
Springs, Iowa, speaks of successfully grafting walnuts in 1900 in a
discussion of the horticultural society led by Van Houton, Edwards, etc.
In 1909, Mr. E. A. Riehl[14] gave a talk before the Iowa State
Horticultural Society in which he advocated covering the whole walnut
scion, buds and all, with liquid wax. His first Thomas grafted tree is
in a ravine back at his barn at Godfrey, Illinois. It was planted about
1902[12].
In 1910, the Northern Nut Growers' Association was organized by Prof.
John Craig of Cornell University, Dr. Robert T. Morris, Dr. W. C.
Deming, Mr. T. P. Littlepage and others. Craig had previously been at
Iowa State College where he and Budd had shown much interest in nut
trees.
In 1912, Mr. J. F. Jones [1][7], came up from the South where he had
been successful in pecan grafting and started a black walnut nursery at
Lancaster, Penna. He had been in Florida up to 1907. While in Florida he
became acquainted with Mr. John G. Rush, of Willow Run, Penna., and did
some walnut grafting for him. It was Mr. Rush who advised him to go to
Lancaster and start a nursery for northern black walnuts. Jones patented
his patch budder in 1912, and using the hot wax method developed by Mr.
E. A. Riehl was very successful in walnut grafting.
In 1914, Dr. W. C. Deming and President T. P. Littlepage of the N.N.G.A.
and Messrs. C. A. Reed and C. P. Close of the USDA had a conference in
Washington which resulted in the publication of the American Nut
Journal.