EXPERIMENTS IX ORCHARD CULTURE. 



23 



Top-working by cleft-grafting, which is the most common 

 method, may be performed with very Httle loss of time. In no 

 case, however, should an old tree be cut back to a few large stubs 

 and cions inserted in these w^ith the hope of satisfactory results. 

 The proper method of top-grafting an old tree is not to make a 

 few large limbs the basis of a new top, but to remove a larger 

 number of small limbs ranging from one to two inches in 

 diameter. In all this work, too, the symmetry of the tree should 

 be preserved by cutting the stubs at a nearly uniform distance 

 from the center of the top. In this way the long naked limbs 

 so often seen may be avoided. The cleft in the stub should be 

 in a horizontal position ; in other words, the cions should stand 

 so that one is not above the other. After a year or so, when the 

 stub is well healed over, one of the cions should be cut out. 



The method of making the cleft graft 

 is very simple. The cions, which are 

 usually from three to six inches long, 

 are made wedge shaped at the lower 

 end and one side of the wedge is a little 

 thinner than the other. A bud is 

 usually left near the upper outer side of 

 the wedge. The stub is split as before 

 suggested, and the cions are inserted as 

 shown in Figure 11, care being taken 

 that the line between wood and bark on 

 the cion just matches that on the stock. 

 Figure 1 1 shows the graft ready for 

 Fieure 12 is a cross-section 



waxmg 



just at the end of the stub. 



Figure U. 



Figure 12. 



