126 
would be ideal for planting. In the past, 
particularly in the Middle West, it has 
been customary to allow the trees to stand 
two years in the nursery before trans- 
planting to the orchard. However, there 
is now a growing sentiment in favor of 
planting one-year trees, aS they can be 
grown at less cost, are more easily han- 
dled, and more economically planted. 
Trees may be transplanted to the orchard 
in the fall if there has been rain enough 
to make the ground moist. South of the 
latitude of St. Louis or Kansas City, in 
the Middle West, fall planting is very de- 
sirable if the ground is in proper condi- 
tion. The majority of planting is done in 
the spring, which is usually the most 
satisfactory, especially in the North. If 
it is known that other work will be 
pressing in the spring, so that the work 
of planting apple trees is likely to be 
hurried or otherwise improperly done, 
then they should be planted in the fall 
| 
Fig. 6. The Cleft Graft. 
shape, is shown. at a, The middle figure, 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
when more attention can be given to the 
work, 
The whip or tongue gratt is Sometimes 
employed for top working very young 
trees in the orchard, particulaily those 
that are only one year old For trees 
of this age this method is regardeq as 
being better than the cleft gratt. Tie 
securely and cover with wax 
Cleft Grafting 
While the whip or tongue graft de. 
scribed above is the method in most gen. 
eral use among nurserymen for the prop. 
agation of apple trees, there is another 
form known as cleft grafting that is 
used very extensively by farmers and 
others who have only a few trees A 
knowledge of cleft grafting is especially 
useful where one has an apple tree that 
has reached bearing age and is found to 
be unsatisfactory, either in the kind or 
quantity of its fruit. The tree may be 
WL fig 
a 
tH tp 4 
LILLE, 
WILT er be 
ah 
od 
a 
ay 
ai 
ETE ee 
ces MEF SF, 
The short scion (about four inches long) whittled to a wedge 
6, shows how the stump or branch is sawed off 
and split, and how the two scions are inserted. Note that the inner part of the bark 
of the scion is exactly in contact with 
¢, illustrates how all cut surfaces must 
the inner bark of the stock. 
be thoroughly covered with hot grafting wax 
The last figure, 
