50 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



a union is effected, the top of the seedling is removed and the 

 cion allowed to develop. 



Top-working old trees. 



Large numbers of seedling avocados have been planted in 

 Florida and California. Many of these produce fruits inferior 

 in quality to the best budded varieties, while quite a number 

 do not produce at all. It is often desired, therefore, to convert 

 such avocados into budded trees of choice varieties, and this 

 can easily be done. 



Several methods of top-working are employed, the most 

 satisfactory one being shield-budding. When trees are to be 

 top-worked by this means, they should be cut back in November 

 or December in Florida, February or March in California, 

 removing three-fourths of the main limbs a foot or two from 

 their union with the trunk, the remainder being left to keep the 

 tree in vigorous condition. The limbs should be cut off with a 

 sharp saw, to avoid splitting or tearing on the lower side. The 

 stubs should be covered with a good coating of grafting-wax. 



When growth has commenced, in early spring, numerous 

 sprouts will appear around the upper ends of the stubs. Only 

 three or four of the strongest should be allowed to remain on 

 each stub, and when these have reached the diameter of one's 

 little finger, they may be budded in the same manner as seed- 

 lings, with a large bud, preferably from growth which is not 

 mature. The exceedingly vigorous growth of these sprouts 

 makes success much more certain than in budding seedlings 

 in the nursery. Because of the rapid growth, it is necessary to 

 loosen the wraps frequently to keep them from binding. They 

 should not be removed entirely before the buds have developed 

 to a length of 6 or 8 inches. The sprouts rising from the upper 

 side of the stub form stronger unions with the latter than do 

 those from the lower side. 



Cleft-grafting, another method employed in top-working old 



