7() BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Our method is simply this. We purchase from the nursery 

 good, strong, vigorous two-year-old Northern Spy trees. 

 I have always held to the Northern Spy, for the reason 

 that it is a hard, fine-grained wood ; it is a strong tree in 

 its root, and vigorous in its growth of wood. For these 

 reasons I have held as much as possible to the Northern 

 Spy as the stock upon which to carry out this plan of 

 top-working. I think there are other trees which would be 

 equally valuable for top-working, but I have always used 

 the Northern Spy. Originally I grafted, taking the branches 

 as they were well developed, and inserting grafts in three 

 or four of the main branches of the tree ; but in recent 

 years I do not buy the heaviest stock, I generally buy 

 trees two years old. We cannot alwaj^s get trees that are 

 headed low enough ; hence I begin budding down within 

 30 inches of the ground, and set the buds in the body. 

 Then, to make sure, we set a few of the buds in the upper 

 .bi'anches, so that in case of failure of some of the buds we 

 have still enough to make our tree the first year of budding. 

 That is the general practice we follow at our orchard farm. 

 I will give you the results of fifteen years of this work. 

 Fifteen years ago I l)egan with the King, and we know 

 the King is very susceptible to apple canker. We cannot 

 get the tree through fifteen years without its being broken, 

 and in some sections of our country I have seen 90 per cent 

 of the trees go out from disease. But from their scarcity 

 I am getting a high price for King apples to-day, simply 

 because the fruit is in such demand and is so highly prized. 

 Upon this orchard, grafted fifteen years ago, there is not 

 the first evidence of disease upon a single tree. They are 

 magnificent trees, in full growth, and making fine develop- 

 ment. They have borne for seven years in succession very 

 excellent crops, so that this system of top-working the King 

 on hardy trees has thus far proved a success. The buds 

 were selected from ideal trees, — trees that were strong and 

 vigorous and typical ; and they have certainly carried out 

 the quality which was possessed by the tree from which the 

 buds were taken. J believe it is possible for us to take 

 other Ncry choice, delicate varieties, and, by transferring 



