66 ANNUAL REPORT. - 
they will quit coming. The tree will learn that its crab character is played out, 
and after a while will second your efforts by making no new buds on the crab 
wood. Perhaps once a week will be often enough to examine the tree and re- 
inove the sprouts. If after all these efforts, the blight begins to make its 
appearance on grafts or limbs, as it may in seasons like the past one, when it 
takes its most malignant forms, use the pruning knife at once and be sure you 
cut off the end of the blighted sprout or graft not only below the external in- 
jury but far enough down to make it certain that all the affected parts, both in- 
ternal and external are taken away. Here is where many people fail in prun- 
ing for the blight. _They do not cut low enough. The writer had about 600 
grafts inserted in thirty-one crab trees last spring—all the trees having blighted 
in the limbs and some in the bodies in previous years. Under the system of 
pruning herein described, no blight appeared on the trees until nearly all of the 
same kind in his neighborhood had so far blighted as to look as if a fire had run 
through them, and afterwards when it commenced in a few of the grafts and ~ 
crab limbs, it was very slight and yielded at once to the knife. 
The next spring after the top grafting has been commenced, the remainmg 
crab limbs can be all or mostly grafted or cut away if the grafts have made a 
good growth the previous year, and the trees must be frequently examined dur- 
ing the growing season to keep off the crab sprouts that appear till they close 
their efforts to renew the old tops. 
It will be seen from the foregoing that it is not worth while to graft into the 
crabs except with a view of making thorough work, and as fast as possible with- 
out injury to the tree, grafting it allover. The blight cannot be controlled and 
kept out on any other plan; and while it continues, as it works at present, the 
crab trees are useless, and are likely to die altogether. 
It remains only to name the sorts that do best as gratts on the crabs. The 
Wealthy is a perfect success and the most valuable for general top grafting. It 
makes a perfect union on Transcendents, growing no beetle at the point of 
union. The Wallbridge makes a beetle, but it is sound and considering its long 
keeping quality and abundant bearing, is a good sort to use. The Fameuse, 
Haas, Ben Davis, Tallman, Sweet and several other sorts have been tried with 
success in this neighborhood. The Duchess of Oldenburg is a failure upon the 
crab, either grafted in roots or hmbs. Unless one wishes to make experiments, 
we would restrict our grafting to sorts that are known to do well, using the 
Wealthy most freely, and then with good care of the trees, we shall be likely to 
change our nearly useless crabs into trees that will be a good deal more satisfac- 
tory, and in some cases as good orchard trees as can be grown anywhere. 
DISCUSSION. 
Mr. Sias.—I agree with Mr. Gibbs on all points except that in- 
stead of being two years removing the blighted top I would make 
a clean job of it in one year. Mr. Eldridge top grafts Duchess on 
Transcendents by whip splicing. Mr. Underwood thinks the time 
required to change a crab tree to the finer apples by grafting de- 
pends much on the character of the tree grafted upon. He always 
grafts such limbs as would complete the shape of the tree if they 
