144 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



TOP-WORKING— PURPOSE, METHODS AND RESULTS. 



J. p. ANDREWS, FARIBAULT, MINN. 



One purpose of top-workine: is to secure earlier fruiting than we 

 could get from root grafting, which is often very desirable with 

 seedling apples and other new varieties. Another is to multiply 

 scions and buds more rapidly for propagating new and scarce var- 

 ieties and for converting worthless, unproductive trees into choice 

 productive ones. But in this climate the principal purpose of top- 

 working is to secure fruit of some of the more desirable varieties 

 that are too tender to grow as root-grafted trees. 



Of our half-hardy trees, the bodies and large limbs are the first 

 to suffer damage, and by the use of a hardy stock like the Virginia 

 crab, whose limbs come out at right angles and form very strong 

 forks and trunk, we can successfully top-work these limbs with 

 many choice varieties that would be entirely too tender in body and 

 forks to withstand our severe climate as root-grafted trees. The 

 methods employed in top working are grafting and budding, and 

 the more common one is by grafting, which should be done in earlj^ 

 spring. 



There are several different styles of grafting, but for small limbs 

 up to three-quarters of an inch in diameter, whip or tongue graft- 

 ing is probabl)'^ best and in general use and for larger limbs cleft- 

 grafting is employed. 



In whip-grafting take the limbs off a short distance from the body 

 of the tree bj"- a smooth, even, sloping cut from one to one and a half 

 inches long, and in the middle of this cut a slit or tongue is made; 

 then a scion three or four inches long is cut obliquely downward, 

 making the same kind of cut and tongue as was made on the limb 

 of the tree. They are then neatly fitted together; so the tongue of 

 one is under the other and the inner barks of both are in perfect 

 contact, at least on one side. Then the whole splice is covered with 

 grafting wax, to protect the cut surfaces from drying or excessive 

 wet. 



Where cleft-grafting is to be done, the large limb is sawed off, the 

 stump made smooth with a sharp knife and split down about an 

 inch or so, the scion smoothly cut at the lower end in shape of a 

 wedge with one edge slightly thicker than the other and a bud sit- 

 uated on the thick edge at the shoulder. This scion is inserted into 

 the split with the thick edge outward, so that the inner barks of 

 stock and scion are closely matched. The splice must be well pro- 

 tected with wax. 



Where large limbs are to be changed, we can cut them back and 

 make them throw out new growth, and the next year either whip- 

 graft or bud these new limbs and make a smoother and better job 

 than to cleft-graft such large limbs. It is hardly advisable to top- 

 work large Transcendents, because they blight so badlj', but there 

 are many old trees of other varieties that would be greatly improved 

 by top-working with choice varieties. 



