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Cutting Back Stocks for Toprvorking 

 I doubt if it is important to cut back stocks during the dormant 

 season, except that then there is more time. With larger trees this 

 counts for a good deal, but in the smaller ones I like to cut them off 

 just where I want to graft at the time of doing so. However, they may 

 be cut off when dormant at the point of selection for grafting and later 

 grafted without further cutting back. This reduces, or does away with 

 the risk of bleeding. Exeept in very small stocks it is better to leave 

 a number of the lower branches to prevent bleeding. When bleeding 

 does occur it may be checked by making one or more cuts with the 

 knife or saw into the sapwood of the trunk below the graft. Better 

 results come when the cutting back is of the top branches and not the 

 lower ones because of the stronger flow of sap toward the top of the 

 tree. In my opinion a side branch should always be left at the point 

 where the stock is cut off to maintain a circulation of sap. Otherwise 

 the stub will often die back and the graft fail. Also, the cambium 

 close to a side branch will be observed to be thicker and I infer that 

 the circulation of sap is more active. I prefer to cut off the top half, 

 or two-thirds of the tree and graft into the top and the side branches 

 near the top. 



Hickories in full foliage may usually be cut back without evident 

 "harm. Occasionally a tree will l:>e apparently shocked to death. 

 Sometimes when a tree in foliage is cut back severely the remaining 

 leaves will turn black and partly, or completely, die. but the tree will 

 throw out vigorous new growth later. 



Trees up to three inches in diameter may have the whole top cut off, 

 at tlie risk of occasionally shocking a tree to dentli. Sucli complete 

 cutting back must be done in the dormant season or there will be 

 severe and prolonged bleeding. This method has the advantage of 

 forcing a tremendous growth in the grafts which will need careful sup- 

 port. This is much more easily done however, tliin wh.en tlie grafts 

 are in tlie top of the tree. Cutting back in the dorm:int season and 

 painting with paraffine has not worked well for me as the paraffine has 

 not adhered well for any length of time to tlie freshly cut surfaces. 

 Probably this could be easily remedied if it were a real advantage. 

 In the case of small stocks and branches where there is no bleeding 

 and the jjarafiine adheres well green callus will often be seen spreading 

 out beneath the paraffine over the cut surface. 



