Meet Sam Van Aken.  He's an artist and professor at Syracuse University that uses "chip grafting" to create trees that each bear 40 different varieties of stone fruits, or fruits with pits.

The grafting process involves slicing a bit of a branch with a bud from a tree of one of the varieties and inserting it into a slit in a branch on the "working tree," then wrapping the wound with tape until it heals and the bud starts to grow into a new branch.  Over several years he adds slices of branches from other varieties to the working tree.

In the spring the "Tree of 40 Fruit" has blossoms in many hues of pink and purple, and in the summer it begins to bear the fruits in sequence...

Check out the entire process with Sam in the video below:

Is he a genius or a madman?  I think this is genius!  Most fruit trees bear far more than one person can use.  Mix it up, and there's less waste!  Be nice to plant a whole field of these beautiful trees!

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