152 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. A. F. Collman: A few years ago I brought some Vir- 

 ginia crab trees, and I planted 700 in my orchard which I ex- 

 pected to topwork, and I felt as though I had an elephant on 

 my hands, but when I saw Mr. Philips was on your program I 

 knew I would be much interested in what he had to say about 

 topworking. Mr Philips has had a good deal of experience. 

 I do not believe in healing over a wound. I do not think it 

 pays to get the bark to cover a wound, because where there is 

 a dead spot in the body it will decay. I think if Mr. Somer- 

 ville would saw his tree in two, he would find there was a dead 

 spot there and very little sap wood. We know in cleft graft- 

 ing you can split the tree and insert a graft and let a little air 

 in there. Noav it is a question whether it will heal up perfectly 

 sound, and I have not practiced it, because I have some doubts 

 about grafting that way; so I have adopted a new way. I side 

 graft. I take a good, sharp knife and cut into the bark, make 

 a little wedge scion and put it in slanting. I make it on the 

 upper side of the limb, next year I can cut off the limb, and 

 that makes a perfect union. I would like to know if Mr. Phil- 

 ips ever practiced that? 



Mr. Philips: Speaking about healing over, if I have a horse 

 cut on a wire fence I want that wound to heal over. That same 

 question was raised last summer by a man. He also did not be- 

 lieve there was a perfect union. I told him I had a number of 

 those topworked trees, and I would cut one to satisfy him. I 

 cut one in two, and it was as perfectly solid where that graft 

 was put in as it could be. The air had been excluded and the 

 wound had healed over perfectly. You cut a limb off slanting 

 on the under side and there is no chance for air to get in, and 

 no chance for decay. I have practiced the other way a little, 

 but I like my own way better, and I can do it faster. I have no 

 objection to side grafting at all. You put it on the top of the 

 limb, and it gives a nice union. 



Mr. Harris: That side grafting is the best way for plums. 



Mr. Collman: A year ago last March I topworked a plum 

 scion on one I knew was perfectly good, and it made a growth 

 of five inches that season and matured eight plums on that 

 little twig. 



Prof. N. E. Hansen: Don't you think budding is the best 

 way to topwork the Virginia? 



Mr. Philips: Well, yes; I do. I am sixty years old, and I 

 want to see all the good done I can. I put the buds in in the 

 fall and graft the next spring to change them as soon as possible. 



