PROPAGATION BY BUDDIXIJ AXli filiAFTIXG. 89 



grafting the apple or pear if the worlc is done very early 

 with dormant scions and where the stocks are perfectly 

 dormant. The side-cut method is employed on relatively 

 small stocks, but on older stocks the cleft-and-wedge plan 

 gives as good results. 



92. Top-working in the Cellar. — If sprouts or seedlings 

 of any of the orchard fruits are taken up late in autumn 

 and stored in cellar with proper root-covering they can be 

 top-grafted during winter indoors and set in orchard the 

 next spring. In this system a single scion is inserted in 

 the stock at proper height to form the top. Aftoi- graft- 

 ing the only care needed is root-protection and care in 

 handling to prevent breaking off the scion. When set in 

 orchard or nursery shoots will start below the scion. 

 These are left until the scion has made some growth, when 

 they are rubbed off. This method is useful to amateurs, 

 but is rarely practised in nurseries except with some 

 shrubs, and the grafting of the gooseberry on Ribes 

 aureum stocks. 



93. Scions to Save Girdled Trees. — Young orchard trees 

 are often girdled in winter by mice, rabbits, and some- 

 times by sheep. If sawed off below the injury they usually 

 fail to grow from the stub, as buds are slow in development 

 at that point and the sap pressure, as the heat comes on, 

 brings about ferment and low vitality of the stub and 

 roots. Such trees can be saved by cleft-grafting of the 

 stub. A scion is inserted on both sides of the stub to 

 favor the healing of the wound. If both grow the weakest 

 one is cut back after making growth enough to help in 

 covering the wound on that side with cell-growth. The 

 well-established stub will give rapid growth from the strong 

 buds of the scion a nd in one season develop a tree with side 

 branches. Trees saved in this way will come into bearing 

 about as soon as those not girdled, set at the same time. 



