I Guess We Have All Heard Of Grafting,

where the stock of one tree is grafted on to the stem of another,

 for various reasons grafting has become a popular way for growers to increase yield and keep certain trees growing,

normally just two trees, the stock and the graft are used, but artist and Syracuse University art professor Sam Van Aken had the opportunity to acquire a 3-acre orchard from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station,

 and took the art of grafting to a new level,

fascinated by the practise of grafting trees since a young age, Aken began to graft buds from the 250 heritage varieties found on the orchard onto a single stock tree, over 5 years the number of grafts has grown, so much so that all 40 varieties on one tree bloom and fruit at the same time, Aken worked with stone fruits (fruits with pits) like peaches, plums, apricots, almonds, and nectarines, the Tree of 40 Fruit project was born, Aken has since grafted at least 16 different 'Trees of 40 Fruit' which are planted across the U.S. in places like Newton, Massachusetts; Pound Ridge, New York; Short Hills, New Jersey; Bentonville, Arkansas; and San Jose, California, each tree is specific to its environment, using both local and antique varieties,

I find this totally fascinating, so I have included this video if you want to know more.