84 



THE APPLE. 



and from sudden freezing and thawing, and commends itself in 

 every way. The boxes may be kept filled with soil all the year 

 around, but care should be taken that if the practice is to be dis- 

 continued that they are not taken off on the approach of winter, 

 "but in the spring. In more favorable locations such treatment is 

 unnecessary with hardy kinds, but even in such places the good 

 effect will be apparent. 



Top-working. By top-working is meant the grafting or bud- 

 ding of a tree after it is of some considerable size. The term is 

 used to distinguish such trees from those that are root-grafted. It 

 is here recommended for severe locations and for somewhat tender 

 kinds, such as the Wealthy, which, besides being somewhat tender 

 and liable to sunscald, is weak in the stem and crotches. If this 

 variety is grafted on the branches of the Virginia crab, which is a 

 very hardy sort with strong crotches, a tree is formed that has 

 much of the hardiness of that crab, but at the same time bears 

 Wealthy apples. By this method we may 

 increase the hardiness of trees to a consid- 

 erable degree. Some varieties seem to be 

 better adapted to one stock than to another. 

 The Virginia crab is a stock that is hardy 

 in every particular, and especially desir- 

 able for top-working. It grows rapidly, 

 makes a large tree, and will keep up in 

 rapidity of growth with any of our larger 

 apples. But most of the larger growing 

 crabs make good stocks for top-working. 

 The Transcendent crab may be successfully 

 used for this purpose. When it is intended 

 to grow an orchard by this method the 

 stocks should be set in the spring, to be 

 budded the following August, or should be 

 grafted the following spring. Figure 59 

 shows where the grafts should be made. If 

 to be budded the buds should be inserted in 

 about the same positions in the head of the 

 tree as the grafts. 



Picking and Marketing. In order 

 to have apples keep well, or command the 

 highest price, they must be hand-picked 

 before they are fully ripe and handled very 

 carefully. They should never be shaken 

 from the trees, for although they may not FIG. 59 Top-worked tree. 

 show the bruises at once, yet they will a ' a< a ' 9 ra S t8 - 

 show plainly in a few days, and cause premature decay. This is 

 especially true of the Duchess of Oldenburgh, and other varieties 

 which, like it, easily become spotted. They should be carefully 

 sorted into three grades best, second best, and culls. The latter 

 grade had better be kept at home and fed to stock, or made into 



