THE PHILOSOPHY OF TOP-WORKING. 165 
Mr. Beckley: That is the way I have been doing, but instead of 
splitting them I have frequently inserted them under the bark, just 
took one half of the scion and stuck it under the bark. 
Mr. C. L. Smith: I do not understand Mr. Kimball as to where he 
has obtained his authority in regard to the Virginia. I have been 
to a good many farms and nurseries in Minnesota, Wisconsin and 
northern Iowa, and they are almost unanimous in favor of the 
Virginia as a stock to work on. He speaks about the gentleman 
from Illinois who discarded the Virginia in favor of the Shields. I 
got that same information, and I wanted to test its value, and I got 
one hundred of those Shields crabs, and they blighted a good deal 
worse than the Transcendent ever did. It is the exception to find 
blight on the Virginia, and there are hundreds of trees in the state 
fifteen to twenty years old. Itis fifteen years since Icame to the city, 
and I have been on the market every year, and [ have not yet seen 
the market where the Virginia crab would not sell from 25 to 100 
per cent. more than the standard apples; and so throughout the 
state the Virginia crab sells at a higher price in proportion than 
any of the winter apples. Three years ago I planted five of what [ 
considered the hardiest I could get, including the Hibernal, the 
Duchess and the Virginia; I planted them out under rather unfavor- 
able conditions, and I was away from home the following year all 
during the fall,and the ground was not properly cultivated, and 
every one of the Virginias is all right, while anywhere up to 
eighty per cent. of the other varieties are dead. That is the general 
experience in thiscountry. I took up some of the Virginias and 
had them at the fair. The Virginia makes its own root. It is true: 
as he says, that if you cut off those branches the Virginia will start 
to grow up, and that is something in favor of it. If you cut off the 
top it will throw out more suckers; at the same time it will furnish 
more sap and vigor to push the graft along. 
Mr. Kimball: I speak of my own knowledge when I speak of the 
Virginia blighting. Mr. Philips has acknowledged to me that the 
Virginia blighted with him. Mr. Belknap tells about the Virginia 
blighting in his locality, and I have meta good many more who 
say the samething. Thatis nota myth. 
Mr. Harris: Mr. President, I have not had my say. During the 
Mexican warI spent a year as a grafter of apple trees. I did not 
graft as large limbs as our president said he did; I think it is better 
to have a tree that is not over six inches in diameter at the most 
and the place to insert the graft is where you can make the best and 
cleanest job. There was a question brought up about the stock 
making it more hardy. I believe the tender stock has an influence 
on the graft. If I was at home, I believe I could prove it to your 
satisfaction. Another thing, speaking about having trees grafted 
by those traveling grafters; these fellows that come around doing 
that kind of work put in just as many grafts as they can find limbs, 
and they charge ten cents apiece for them if they live. I know a 
man who paid over one hundred dollars for grafting a little orchard. 
Then half the time we do not know what kind of an apple we are 
getting. A good many of those winter apples have turned out to 
