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THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



tree is the shaping of the top. The old top is to be removed 

 in three or four or five years, and a new one is to be grown in 

 its place. If the tree is old, the original plan or shape of the 

 top will have to be followed in its general outlines. The 

 branches should be grafted, as a rule, where they do not ex- 



FIG. 176. Top-grafted old tree. 



ceed an inch and a half in diameter, as cions do better in such 

 branches, the wounds heal quickly, and the injury to the tree 

 is less than when very large stubs are used. The operator 

 should endeavor to cut all the leading stubs at approximately 

 equal distances from the center of the tree; and then, to pre- 

 vent long and pole-like branches, various minor side-branches 

 should be grafted. These will serve to fill out the new top and 

 to afford footholds for pruners and pickers. Fig. 176 is a good 



