44 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



the split has been made, and this should also be waxed over. 

 The object in view in doing this is to take every precaution to 

 keep the air out. One very important point that should be 

 observed in grafting over old trees is not to cut off all the 

 branches of the tree, but leave one or two to carry off the sap, 

 which must find an outlet. The branch or branches which 

 remain should not be removed entirely the next year, but 

 should gradually be cut back and should only be cut away 

 after the grafts have attained some size, and it will probably 

 take at least two years before it will be perfectly safe to remove 

 all that remains of the original tree. In some localities, espe- 

 cially in the coast counties, I have seen the entire tops of old 

 olive trees cut away and grafted, and the trees live; and here 

 I have seen the same experiment tried, and, with very few 

 exceptions, the trees so handled died. The cause of this is 

 probably to be attributed to the difference in climatic conditions 

 in the two localities. I believe, however, that it is always 

 better in grafting over trees, whether they are deciduous or 

 evergreen, to allow at least one branch of the original tree to 

 remain until the grafts have attained such a size as to take the 

 place, to a certain extent, of the original top, which lias been 

 removed. There is no question in my mind that in removing 

 an entire top of a tree, so as to prevent the circulation of the 

 sap, it is a terrible shock to it, and if the tree does finally 

 recover it takes several vears to do so." 



BUDDING THE OLIVE. 



Budding olive trees by the ordinary methods practiced on 

 fruit trees is somewhat difficult. The buds being small and 

 the bark thin, great care is necessary in order to insure suc- 

 cess. The methods herein described, while somewhat new in 

 use, have given the best results. 



Plate, or Eye, Bud. This is one of the simplest of all 

 methods and is employed on large as well as small trees. The 

 operation is performed in the spring and through the summer, 

 or in the fall. Buds put in in the spring start early; those in 

 the fall are left to lie dormant through the winter. An incision 

 is made on the stock, thus ] |, and the flap drawn down. The 

 bud is then cut from the cion to be a trifle smaller than the 



