A curiosity

Back in February, in the course of the expedition noticed at reference 1, I acquired a copy of the book about the raising of pigs at reference 2. 

In which I read this afternoon (on page 288) of an intervention called inarching. The idea is that if you have a fruit tree which is short of, say, potassium, you connect it to a new root stock, known to be good at potassium, by a technique called inarching, a new-to-me application of grafting. The fruit tree you started with can then feed off the new root stock as well as its own.

Bing suggests at references 3 and 4 that the technique is more often used where the lower trunk of a fruit tree has been damaged. In any event, you proceed by planting one or more rooted saplings around the base of the tree to be mended or otherwise improved and then piping the tops of the saplings into the trunk of the tree. Nailing them into place and then painting over with some kind of sealant.

All very ingenious, but I am surprised that it was thought worthwhile to mend trees in this way in the late 1970's. It all looks rather expensive in labour.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/02/return-to-chandos.html.

Reference 2: The production and marketing of pigs - H R Davidson - 1953.

Reference 3: https://smallfarmersjournal.com/bridge-grafting-and-inarching-damaged-fruit-trees/.

Reference 4: Bridge Grafting and Inarching Damaged Fruit Trees - U. S. Department of Agriculture Leaflet No. 508, Prepared by Crops Research Division, Agricultural Research Service - Originally mid 1960's, revised 1977.