TRANSACTIONS HORTICLLTIK AL SOCIKTY OF NORTHERN Il.L. 387 



During the latter part of August and fore part of September we gen- 

 erally have one or more all-day, strong, southwest winds, which nearly 

 strip some of our trees of their fruit. 



The King of Tompkins County, a tender tree, bears splendid fruit, 

 but drops badly ; so with the R. I. Greening. We have six trees, four- 

 teen years in graft, which blossom but little ; the codling-moth wants 

 a big share, then the early fall winds take nearly all the rest, so that 

 by the first of October we do not gather a peck of choice fruit from all 

 the trees. 



The Wood's Greening is nearly as good as the R. I. Greening — a 

 good keeper — good for table or kitchen, hanging firmly on the tree until 

 the first week in October ; should be cultivated as a top-graft to supply us 

 with Greenings. 



In top-grafting large trees we take off about one-third when we graft, 

 leaving one or two side limbs near the graft, rubbing off the sprouts every 

 two or three weeks ; the next spring we may see a few limbs to graft, 

 taking off in all about one-third ; another spring we remove the remain- 

 der, with this precaution : some low limbs must shade the body. 



The grafter should wear light boots with rubbers over them, to pre- 

 vent injury to the bark of the tree. 



Last April a friend was visited who had one Green-gage plum tree 

 and five six-year-old Miner plum trees. I put four grafts from the Green- 

 gage into one of the Miner, and one graft in a sucker, all of which made 

 a fine growth. Can we use a part of our Miner trees in that way to 

 advantage ? 



I may address some farmers who wish to save their own cions. If 

 we try to save them in our own cellars, we are apt to loose them by get- 

 ting them too wet or too dry. If we wish to graft from our own trees, 

 we may graft in April, and cut the cions as they are used until the buds 

 open. 



When I wish to save cions over the winter or before grafting, 1 cut 

 them, when not frozen, in November or fore part of December, or in March 

 or fore part of April, tie them in bundles, put them in a small box, fill 

 the box with straw loosely, leave off the lid, dig in a dry place two feet 

 deep or more, invert the box in the pit, and fill up with the soil and 

 bank up. My cions, kept in that way, have always been good. 



Pear and plum cions can usually be cut off in April and used 

 immediately. 



Root-killing. — When the Ben Davis and some other like hardy trees 

 are killed, the roots are killed, as the body and top are evidently very 

 hardy. The trouble is, our nursery friends are compelled to use seedling 

 roots, which may be tender or hardy, as time alone can determine. 



Four years ago last spring we set a few thousand apple root-grafts, 

 and last spring found a large share of them root-killed ; and we lost about 

 forty transplanted trees, of from four to seven summers' growth, in our old 

 orchard. Since those planted in low, moist ground came through alive, 

 we judge that the dryness of the soil, bare surface and long-continued 

 deep freezing, killed the roots. 



