THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Top-WorKing' Unprofitable Fruit Trees 



TOP-WORKING orchard trees is 

 the grafting over of old trees or of 

 worthless varieties after they are 

 estabhshed in the orchard. It is an 

 important operation in the secondary 

 care of fruit orchards and may be 

 practised on trees of all ages, provided 

 they are strong and healthy. 



Varieties that have been planted and 

 found not suited to local and climatic 

 conditions or to the demands of the 

 market may be worked over with some 

 variety of desired merit. Top-working 

 may be useful also for grafting var- 

 ieties into the tops of self-sterile trees 

 to ensure cross pollination. It may be 

 employed to reform the tops of trees 

 that have been found not true to name. 

 It is the best means for saving time in 

 testing new varieties by top-working 

 them into bearing trees. It is a means 

 of overcoming weak, straggling, and 

 other bad habits in' certain varieties. 

 It is also an important factor in reducing 

 the danger of sun-scald by grafting 

 a susceptible sort on a variety that has 

 proved more resistant to the disease. 

 It may be used in some cases to modify 

 insect injuries. 



Top-working may, therefore, be used 

 bv the fruit grower with advantage in 

 many ways. Chief among the many 

 and the one of most importance in 

 most orchards is the changing of poor 

 varieties for ones of value. 



In the case of the peach, top-work- 

 ing is best done by bud-grafting. Bud- 

 ding is a part of the general process 

 of grafting, but differs from grafting 

 proper in that the scion used consists 

 of a single bud instead of a twig com- 

 prising one or more buds. The bud 

 may be successfully set in old wood, 

 but to secure more certain results 

 it is necessary to bud on wood of one 

 season's growth. To get this new 

 wood, the main branches should be 

 cut back when the tree is dormant to 

 within one and a half feet of the trunk. 

 The following season a new growth 

 will spring from the stubs, and this 

 may be utilized for the desired pur- 

 pose. If the growth has been super- 

 fluous, only a portion of the new shoots 

 need be budded. It is advisable, how- 

 ever, to bud more than eventually 

 will be required, so as to ensure a suffi- 

 cient number of perfect unions. All 

 unions in excess of the desired number 

 which is usually four or five, may be 

 removed when growth starts the follow- 

 ing spring. 



Apple trees are usually top-worked 

 by means of the cleft graft. As a rule, 

 it is better to top-work each year only 

 a portion of the top of old trees so 

 as not to be too severe. Cut the 

 branches of an inch or an inch and a 

 half in diameter off squarely, making 

 a clean cut with no ragged edges. 



SpUt these in the centre and insert the 

 scions, usually two, one on either side, 

 so that the cambium or green layer 

 iust beneath the bark comes in contact 

 with the cambium of the stock. Coat 

 the wounds with grafting wax or wax 

 bandages so as to exclude the air and 

 the spores of disease and to allow of 

 rapid healing. Cleft grafting is not 

 difficult in the hands of a pers.jn of 

 ordinary care and intelligence. 



rig'Kting Plxim Curcxilio 



Among the insects which attack the 

 plum orchard the curculio is the most 

 destructive. Many methods of com- 

 batting this insect have been tried, but ^ 

 few of them can be claimed to be * 

 effective. 



Regarding successful treatment, Mr. 

 F. G. Stewart, of Homer, wrote The 

 Horticulturist as follows: "Last seas- 

 on I used altogether arsenate of lead 

 for plums, and I do not find more than 

 two plums cut by the curcuUo on a 

 tree. It is more expensive than Paris 

 green. The latter costs about four 

 cents a barrel, while it takes three 

 pounds of the lead at 17 cts. a pound, 

 or 51 cts. worth for a barrel. But 

 what would that matter on 50 trees, 

 when it saves the crop so well. Three 

 baskets of good plums will more than 

 pay the difference. Another point in 

 favor of the lead arsenate is that it 

 does not wash off as readily as does 

 Paris green." 



THe Gravenstein 



Ralph S. Eaton, Kentville, Kova Scotia 



A better apple might have been made 

 than the Gravenstein, but few Nova 

 Scotians will admit that a better one 

 exists, either as a dessert apple or for 

 cooking." Like much highly bred stock, 

 however, the tree and fruit has some 

 weak or tender points. The tree has 

 been more susceptible to so-called "col- 

 lar rot" than any other variety, and 

 some growers are hesitating to include it 

 in their new plantings. The fruit is 

 susceptible also to black spot, and, as it 

 is a large and early maturing variety, 

 its rapid expansion of pulp and skin 

 causes cracks where the roots of the spot 

 have their hold. 



Previous to five years ago, the Grav- 

 enstein brought more money to Nova 

 Scotia growers than any other variety. 

 Since then the Baldwin and perhaps 

 Ribston have led. But it is too fine an 

 apple to give up growing, and there is 

 hardly sufficient reason for doing so. 

 The "collar rot" was due probably to 

 some special climatic conditions of the 

 winter of 1900, which may not recur for 

 many years. There is ample proof that 

 with thorough spraying the fruit can be 

 grown beautifully clean. The tree re- 



quires very little pruning and is a beauti- 

 ful, symmetrical grower. Though the 

 first home of the Gravenstein was in 



. Typical Gravenstein Tree, Pruned 



Germany, Nova Scotians feel that they 

 can surpass the German product. 



An Effective WindbreaK 



This windbreak is on the farm of Mr. 

 T. A. Scott, of Meyersburg, Ont., who 

 writes to The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist as follows : " It has paid its cost over 

 and over again and I would not be with- 

 out it. It saves 25 to 50 per cent, of 

 my apples each year. It is about 25 feet 

 distant from the nearest row of trees, 

 so it does not shade them. In most 

 orchards the air circulates too freely, 

 more especially in a winter Hke 1904, 

 when many farmers lost a great number 

 of both voung and full grown trees by 

 frost. Mine came through safe with the 

 exception of one or two at the end of 



A Shelter Belt of Spruce Trees 



the break. I would not think of plant- 

 ing an orchard without a break on the 

 west and north side, if not already pro- 

 tected by a hill, and if I had an orchard 

 already grown I would lose no time in 

 planting a break. Spruce makes the best. 



