60 APPLE GROWING IN CALIFORNIA. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



TOP-WORKING APPLE TREES. 



It frequently happens that varieties of trees are found, when they 

 come into bearing, to be different from those that were ordered ; again, 

 varieties may have been poorly chosen and found to be unadapted to 

 the conditions where they are set out. In either case grafting over to 

 some other variety may be necessary. 



In the case of two or three year old trees this process is very simple 

 and may be done without any appreciable injury to the trees. Such 

 young trees as these can be very easily budded by inserting buds of 

 the desired variety into small branches low down. Several branches 

 can be selected because of their placement being such as to be desirable 

 in the formation of the head. The best time is in August or September. 

 The following spring, if the buds are found to be green, indicating 

 that they have united with the bark of the tree, branches should be cut 

 away just above, thus throwing the strength of the tree into the buds, 

 when they should make a very rapid growth. If trees have large tops 

 it may not be well to cut them all away at once, biit to leave a portion 

 of them until the buds have made a good start, when the entire tops 

 can be removed. 



If grafting is preferred to budding, larger limbs may be chosen. In 

 fact, if the tree is only two years old it may be successfully grafted 

 by cutting it back below the branches and inserting one or two scions, 

 according to the size of the trunk. There are several methods of graft- 

 ing, the two most common being known as kerf and cleft grafting. The 

 first consists of the insertion of a scion in a V-shaped opening made in 

 side of limb, the scion being shaped to fit tightly into this opening, 

 where it is immediately covered with wax. Cleft grafting consists in 

 the splitting of the ends of the sawed-off limbs and the insertion of 

 scions previously cut at one end, so that the cambium layer may be 

 brought into contact with the corresponding layer of the limb being 

 grafted. Whether cleft or kerf grafting is done the scions should be 

 sloped a little outward, so that the cambium layers will cross, otherwise 

 there may be no point of contact between the two and as a consequence 

 no union. Crossing is all that is necessary to insure a good union. 

 Waxing to exclude the air should be carefully done. 



The scion should be made from one year old wood with well formed, 

 thrifty buds taken from a good producing tree. Succulent water sprout 

 growth is not desirable for scion wood. Two or three buds are sufficient 

 to leave on each scion and the ends, if cut, should be waxed over. 



What has been said in regard to grafting young trees will apply to 

 old also, but very large limbs should not be chosen for grafting. Bud- 

 ding may be successfully done in young growth low down on older 

 trees. If limbs two inches in diameter or more are cut off for the inser- 

 tion of scions more than one should be put in a stub. In the case of 

 very large limbs, several must be inserted if the healing of the cut 

 surface takes place entirely around the stub. A scion should not bo 

 expected to heal for more than an inch and one half or two indies on 



