Top-working Fruit Trees 167 



joint should be well wrapped with waxed cloth, and, to be 

 doubly sure that all air is excluded, it may be painted over 

 with warm wax. 



In grafting young trees, it is a common practice to 

 remove all of the top, placing cions in those arms that 

 one wishes to keep. It is always well to 

 work a few extra stubs, as accidents may 

 befall some of the, cions. 



The season for top-grafting the young 

 trees is the same as for old trees. While 

 top-working the old trees tends to hasten 

 the bearing of the cions, it is doubtful 

 whether top-working young trees in- 

 duces earlier fruitfulness. 



Budding the Young Trees. Budding 

 is, no doubt, the simpler method of put- 

 ting a new top on young trees. While 

 the process of budding is a little more 

 delicate than that of grafting, with a 

 little practice the average man can get 

 very satisfactory results. Buds should 

 be placed as soon as the top is well 

 formed, setting one or two in each scaf- FIG. 54. The Oper- 

 fold limb that is to be retained. The Jjjj5^ f Whip ~ 

 buds are generally set from six to twelve 

 inches from the main stem, depending on the formation of 

 the head. Trees two years old when set may generally 

 be budded the following fall, and should yearling whips 

 make a strong growth, the arms may be large enough to 

 receive buds in September. Any stem as large as a lead 

 pencil may be budded easily. Arms in which buds fail to 



