154 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



cut out until the head is rather open. This gives admission to 

 air and sunhght and permits the fruit on the inside of the top 

 to ripen at the same time as the outer fruit and also be well 

 colored. 



Sometimes when trees begin to bear fruit the grower dis- 

 covers that the fruit is not the kind that he wants. In such 

 cases, if he wishes, the grotver can top-grajt his trees with the 

 varieties which he desires. In top-grafting the top is cut back 

 severely and small scions are introduced into all the larger 

 limbs. The small limbs are cut off entirely, and limbs having 

 a diameter of one inch or more are used for the stocks. Top- 

 grafting is hard on the tree because so many wounds are 

 made, but the tree usually recovers and bears fruit from the 

 grafts. 



Orchards which have never been cared for can usually be 

 made to bear good fruit rather easily. Such trees should be 

 pruned sensibly, washed, scraped, and sprayed. Too many 

 limbs should not be cut out at once. The trunks should be 

 washed with strong soap suds, using a stiff brush. Before 

 washing it is well to scrape the old bark and moss from the 

 large limbs and the trunk with a hoe. The whole tree should 

 be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. (See Chapter XXIX.) 

 The spraying and washing will soak up the bark so that 

 the tree can grow well. The spraying and washing also kill 

 insects and fungus diseases. Such treatment of old orchards 

 is called renovating. 



