STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 33 



Mr. Foster. I have been in the habit of grafting on the 

 stock. 



Question.. Which do you recommend as the best practice, 

 phmting seedling trees or trees grafted in the nursery ? 



Mr. Foster. When I first began to set apple trees, sixty 

 years ago, perhaps, there was but little grafting done in this 

 county, but of late a good many people in Maine have been 

 setting New York trees. I have been in the habit of setting 

 trees not (rrafted. In reijard to New York trees, I have no 

 doul)t but they would do well if we take sufficient care of 

 them, but to give them the care we used to forty years ago, 

 they will not amount to anything. 



Mr. Smith. I have grafted with you (Foster) a great deal. 

 My experience is, decidedly, that in this State we had better 

 set seedling trees and graft into the bod}^ or branches. If the 

 bodies are too long, they should be cut back. I hold that we 

 had better have the trees nearer to the earth. Everybody 

 ought to know how to graft. It is a very simple thing to do. 

 Every boy ought to learn it. I could relate my experience 

 in learning, but will not take up the time. In relation 

 to cutting large limbs and grafting all in one year or 

 otherwise, I believe it is better to start the scions all in one 

 year, leaving enough limbs to be renewed gradually after- 

 wards. In that wa}^ you keep the trees balanced, and all the 

 scions start together. When I first began to graft, the under 

 limbs were left for the next year ; we grafted the best part of 

 the tree, and they would grow ra^Didly, while the lower limbs, 

 grafted afterwards, were always behind and would never get 

 up again. When scions are put all over the tree, and started 

 at the same time, you w^ll have an equal growth. In a small 

 tree it will do to cut off the entire top ; in a large tree I would 

 not generally do it. 



Mr. Berry agreed with Mr. Smith on the last point. 



N. R. Pike of Winthrop. I would ask, if a tree needs 

 cutting back, what time would you prefer to do it? 



