STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: 65 
fectly hardy and secure—namely, roots, body and forks. Now, what do we fur- 
ther need in order to have the whole tree hardy? It is obvious that nothing is 
needed except to have the top ripen up its new growths before winter sets in. 
Looking at the crab, we see*that it stops growing and hardens itself up for win- 
ter in good time. Something in its nature tells it that cold weather is coming 
and it proceeds to make itself ready for it. Its sap slows up or ceases in its flow, 
the cions and all parts of the season’s growth of wood or bark harden up, and 
the first blizzards find the tree ready for them, whether they come early or late. 
How are the grafted limbs to keep on growing after the crab parts call a halt? 
They cannot do it. They stop growing with the rest of the tree and likewise 
harden up for winter. This of course is a theory. Now compare it with ob- 
served facts. Take the Wallbridge variety of common or standard apples as an 
illustration. This is an apple about the size of the Geniton, of better quality and 
a much longer keeper. In fact it keeps nearly until apples come again, and is 
fit for use in March or April. As a tree upon its own body it is thrifty, but in 
some of our seasons too tender. In this section it gets injured so as to produce 
under-sized apples in some years, and then in small crops—a variety perhaps a 
little hardier on the whole than the Haas—possibly not so hardy—unworthy of 
cultivation here except on a small scale for the sake of vanety. 
Well, we find this Wallbridge growing upon the crab trees, as grafts, and 
showing perfect hardiness after eight years’ trial. extending throngh the two 
severest winters we ever had, (1873 and 1880,) bearing heavily and its fruit 
twice as large this year as that of the same variety on the Wallbridge tree, and 
much handsomer, because, bemg on the crab stock, it suffered less injury last 
winter than the Wallbridge on its own stock. Examining other sorts we find 
the same or similar facts to sustain the theory. 
We come now to the consideration of other questions belonging to this sub- 
ject. How are we to manage the tree during the process of transformation, so 
as to preserve its vigor, promote the proper growth of the grafts. subdue the 
crab growth and keep out the fire blight? Right here let it be understood, the 
grafting process does not guarantee success. It only makes it probable. — It re- 
quires attention and care in behalf of the tree, and in some cases like other good 
efforts, it may fail. The worst difficulty is to keep out the “fire blight. The 
best authorities on the bhght, while differing somewhat as to its cause, agree in 
some methods of treatment. Keep the temperature of the new wood as low as 
possible during the blighting season. The top must be kept open, by pruning, 
to admit a free circulation of air, and the ground protected from intense heats. 
In the orchard of the farm connected with the Iowa Agricultural college, buck- 
wheat was grown for three years and no blight appeared. Ashes and salt separ- 
ately or together, are cooling to the surtace and have been known to stop the 
blight. A whitewash of lime and sulphur, applied to the trunk and limbs has 
been much recomended of late. But the preventive generally effective during the 
tranaformation process of top grafting, is the pruning knife, or better still the 
fingers on tender buds and sprouts. As soon as the graft gets fairly to grow- 
ing, rub or cut off all the crab buds and sprouts a foot or so below the graft. It 
is presumed that the grafter has already cut off all the limbs not needed to make 
foliage the first season. The cutting off of so many old limbs as has been done 
by the grafters, stimulates the vigorous growth of the sprouts from the remain- 
ing limbs and they must all be destroyed as fast as they appear. . After a while 
5 
