UICKORY NUTS. 



189 



With such hard wood trees as the hickories it is better 

 to be a little ahead of time than a few days too late, for 

 frosts, and even quite a severe freeze, will not injure a 

 dormant cion, and under the most favorable conditions 

 the union between stock and cion is a rather slow pro- 

 cess. For this reason I advise giving as much time <us 

 possible, and while I do not claim to having had any 

 personal experience as a grafter, in the South, still I am 

 inclined to think that grafting in the fall, and not later 

 than December, would be preferable to later in winter 

 or spring. By giving the cion and stock two or three 



FIG. 68. CROWN GRAFTING ON ROOTS OF THE HICKORY. 



months in which to form granulations and cohesion, 

 there would be more certainty of success. Of course, I 

 now refer to what is called crown grafting on the root 

 below the surface of the ground, and when the cion is 

 fixed in place with the usual ligatures of waxed paper or 

 cloth, the soil is drawn back into place and the cion 

 entirely covered with it, but very lightly over the ter- 

 minal bud. 



Where small stocks are not at hand, the roots of 

 large trees may be severed and the end partly lifted 

 towards the surface, as shown in Fig. 68, and when 



