TOP WORKING BY CLEFT-GRAFTING 55 



cised to avoid breaking off the buds when the tramping is being 

 done. Apple trees will grow well in rich, mellow, black loam. All 

 damage to the trees must be avoided during the growth in the 

 nursery. 



Cleft-Grafting. — This form of grafting is usually performed in 

 the top of trees but may be used nearer the surface of the ground. 

 Branches one-half inch in diameter or larger are cut across and 

 split with a heavy knife or chisel. Two wedge-shaped scions are 

 cut and inserted at the edges of the split twig in such a way as to 

 bring one cambium layer of each in contact with the cambium 

 layer of the cleft branch. The wound is then thoroughly waxed 

 with rather hard grafting wax to exclude rain and prevent drying 

 out. (Fig. 38.) 



Top Working Fruit Trees. — There are several reasons for desir- 

 ing to top work fruit trees. 



1. The grower sometimes finds that the variety he has does 

 not suit his purpose. 



2. He may find the variety is not the kind he supposed he was 

 purchasing when the trees were obtained from the nursery. Labels 

 are often misplaced and mistakes are apt to occur. 



3. He may desire to insert a new kind on the tree which is al- 

 ready in bearing. He may then place a new variety on one or more 

 of the limbs to quickly test a new kind as they will bear earlier than 

 if started on young trees. 



4. If he has a large block of trees of one variety that have 

 proved to be self sterile, he may be getting plenty of blossoms with 

 little or no fruit. He may then find it advisable to top graft a 

 number of trees in the block with another variety which blossoms 

 at the same season. The two kinds will furnish pollen to each 

 other and fruit will be produced. 



5. Young orchards are sometimes set with well known varieties. 

 The next year these may be top grafted or top budded with scions 

 taken from the owner's orchard of bearing trees. The orchardist 

 thus gets buds started which he is absolutely sure are true to name. 

 He also has saved something on the purchase of his trees by select- 

 ing cheap varieties from nursery catalogues. 



Top Working by Cleft-Grafting. — If apple trees are top worked 

 for any of the above reasons, the method used may be either 

 cleft-grafting or budding. If the cleft-grafting method is to be 

 used, scions of the desired varieties may be saved from the preced- 

 ing dormant season by storing them in wet sawdust in a cool cellar. 



