60 



before the bud has had a chance to start. After the bud has started it is 

 trained to the stock, and left to grow until large enough to justify the 

 removing of the entire top, and allow the bud to become the tree. 



Time of Budding. — The best time is in early spring and through the 

 summer, when the sap flows freely. 



AN IMPROVED METHOD. 



Mr. Wetmore discovered that by making a cut in the shape of an H 

 and raising the bark from the center crosscut (up and down) and the bud 

 inserted, as shown in Figure No. 28, that both ends of the bud became 

 protected, while in the other method only one. 



He considers this an improvement, as it also has the advantage that large 

 buds having a large bulge at the leaf part can be used to an advantage, 

 while they cannot in the method previously described. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



At the orchard of Mr. Wetmore I saw trees of nearly every size, varying 

 from one to six inches in diameter, that had been budded a year and two 

 years. Some of the buds were very large and had grown to a height of 

 about four feet, and were in trees that at the time were loaded with fruit. 

 Mr. Wetmore intends to leave his trees bear another year, when he will 

 allow the buds to take the place of the top; he also expects some of these 

 buds to bear fruit the coming season, and I believe they will, because along- 

 side of them were trees loaded with fruit that were not as large as the 

 growth of the buds. 



GRAFTING. 



Cleft Graft. — This method is similar to the one used by orchardists, only 

 that the cut in the stock is not made in the center, as in the old way. The 

 cut is made from either side, as shown in Figure No. 30. The graft is cut 

 from both sides, as in the old way, to be large at the surface side and thin 

 at the inner; then it is inserted into the stock, as shown in Figure No. 31. 

 The graft is driven down as far as it will go, and is made to fit exactly 

 (both barks to be even) on the surface side, the other side does not matter, 

 as the unit of the graft and stock is on the surface side. In time both sides 

 heal over. After the graft is inserted it must be tied and waxed, and if 

 the operation is performed in the field, it must be covered up with earth, 

 leaving as little of the graft exposed as possible. The entire leaves on the 

 grafts must not be cut off, at least one third of the leaf must be left (as 

 shown in Figure No. 31) to prevent the graft from drying before it has had 

 time to unite with the stock, also the entire leaf must not be allowed to 

 remain on the graft; the trimming of the leaf prevents it from carrying off 

 too rapidly the fluids of evaporation. In this method one point must be 

 observed, and that is the manner in which the cut in the stock is to be made. 

 If due precautions are not taken and the cut be made in the center of the 

 stock, the stock will crack at the time the graft is inserted and a perfect fit 

 cannot be had. The more the graft is pushed down into the stock the more 

 the stock will crack below the point of the graft; this results in the loss of 

 the entire tree. 



Time of Grafting. — The best time to graft the olive is through the sum- 

 mer months. The operation can be performed at any time when the trees 

 (stock) are putting forth new growth. It must be borne in mind that this 

 method is for grafting stock close to the ground. It may do above ground, 

 but for that purpose budding is the simplest and best. 



