METHODS OF GRAFTING 



243 



Never should a horizontal limb immediately beneath 

 another one be grafted, because the tendency is for grafts 

 to grow upward (Fig. 196) rather than outward. Simi- 

 larly, when horizontal or nearly horizontal limbs are to 

 be grafted, the cleft should never be vertical, always hori- 

 zontal, so the growths from the cions will have the least 

 chance of interfering. This upward tendency of cion 

 growth explains the narrow and dense tops of top-grafted 

 trees. Hence also the necessity for careful pruning and 

 training to open up the tops again. Be- 

 cause of this necessity the folly of 

 grafting old trees only on large interior 

 limbs close to main trunks is apparent. 

 Such trees become pomological ex- 

 clamation points. 



While top grafting is best performed 

 when the buds are beginning to swell, 

 on account of the rapid healing of 

 wounds and the probably greater suc- 

 cess at that time, it is usually neces- 

 sary to start two or four weeks earlier 

 and continue as much later when many 

 trees must be worked over by few 

 hands. Late-set cions usually get so 

 poor a start they are weak and cannot 

 withstand frost the following winter. 



Time may be saved by having three 

 men work as a gang, one to prepare 

 stubs, a second to cut and set cions 

 and the third to do waxing. The 

 second, perhaps aided at first by the third man, 

 makes a lot of cions while the first man is 

 getting a start on the stubs. The cions as made 

 are dipped in water and when placing begins, are 

 carried in an outside breast pocket. The second man 

 carries an 18-inch mallet (Fig. 194) handily slung by a 

 cord from his wrist. With it one downward blow on the 



FIG. 197 LARGE 

 TREE CALIPER 



