44 



Pecan-Growing 



treatment of trees preparatory to top-working. The old 

 method, and the one still in most common use, is to cut back 

 the top of the trees, often to mere stumps, during the dormant 

 period, in order to force out new and vigorous sprouts in 



which to insert 

 buds or cions. 

 These new 

 sprouts are 

 thinned out when 

 they are from six 

 to eight inches 

 long and are gen- 

 erally ready for 

 budding by late 

 summer, or for 

 both budding and 

 grafting the fol- 

 lowing spring. 

 T r e e s for top- 

 working by this 

 method should be 

 cut back to the 

 point where it is 

 desired to form 

 the new head, 

 leaving a few of 

 the lower branches to carry on the vegetation processes. 

 Trees having a diameter of less than three inches at a foot 

 above the ground should have their entire tops removed from 

 three to four feet above the surface. All the tops should be 

 cut out of trees ranging from three to six inches in diameter 



Figure 6. — &, Same tree as Fig. 5 after head- 

 ing back for top-working; a, stubs from which 

 tlie new growth is to come; c, heading back 

 that is too severe. 



