1912. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
310 
TOP-WORKING YOUNG APPLE TREES. 
PART IL 
Perhaps some facts and conclusions In 
regard to such work may be of help to 
some of those who have just started new 
orchards, for many have planted at least 
some trees that it would be profitable to 
change to better paying varieties. Poor 
varieties for his location, false labels and 
substitution by the nurseryman of some¬ 
thing just as good as ordered, will mean a 
big loss to many a grower if not corrected 
in good season. My experience is that scions 
set two or three weeks before buds start 
make a better and stronger growth than 
after the trees are in full leaf. But the 
ideal time seems to be just before or at 
the time buds show the least swelling, 
with perfectly dormant scions cut before 
any sap has started. A scion of this class 
is superior to a fresh cut, even when the 
loss is no greater in using the later. The 
most satisfactory way of keeping scions 
where one has no ice house, is to wind 
the scions in burlap and bury then: in snow 
the north side of a building, and I have 
buried many scions simply in the bundles 
and the snow covered up with old bags, 
blankets or mulch of any kind. I did suc¬ 
cessful grafting June 10 with scions kept 
this way. For successful grafting one must 
have good and well-kept scions; a scion 
the size of a medium-sized lead pencil is 
about right for average work, and I would 
prefer them larger than smaller. In graft¬ 
ing my young trees I did quite a little ex¬ 
perimenting, cutting some trees back 
severely, and in others as near the ends of 
limbs as it was possible to do good work, 
grafting limbs as small as one-half to five- 
eighths inch in diameter. Iambs of an inch 
or smaller were tied tightly near the top 
with raffia, two or three times round being 
•sufficient. Although quicker work can be 
done by cutting the trees back pretty well, 
yet if the trees were not too large and one 
can spare the time I think it will pay to 
cut most limbs at from three-fourths to one 
inch in diameter. 
Believing filler trees the most profitable 
method of setting an apple orchard, and 
that it will be largely used in future or¬ 
chard planting, my experience is, do not 
top-work fillers. The value of these trees is 
to grow paying crops of apples in a few 
years on small trees, and varieties like 
Wealthy and Wagener will do this as soon 
as the tree is able to carry the fruit, if 
the trees are properly grown, viz., not 
forced unnaturally. I see no reason to 
top-work our standard varieties where the 
trees are healthy and vigorous, but there 
are certain varieties that can be so worked 
to advantage. The Williams Red, an an¬ 
nual bearer and an apple that requires high 
feeding for best results, although a poor 
grower in the nursery, seems to grow to 
perfection on a rank and thrifty grower 
like Hurlbut, while a weak grower put upon 
this variety does not appear able to use all 
the surplus sap, and causes the Hurlbut to 
throw out a large amount of suckers or 
water sprouts, causing a large amount of 
unnecessary labor, and it also seems to 
hurt the vitality of the tree to keep these 
all cut off the season through. 
But why should anyone top-work a va¬ 
riety that makes a good tree in the nursery, 
and is hardy and healthy in the locality 
where set? We cannot understand how a 
seedling apple budded to Spy and then 
again top-worked to another variety should 
have a better root growth than if origin¬ 
ally budded where the Spy stock began. 
IIow will three or four feet even of Spy 
wood improve the vigor of such a tree? 
My experience is that trees from different 
nurseries have quite a little difference in 
their root growth, and that an upright 
growing tree as a rule has roots that run 
more direct into the ground than on va¬ 
rieties with very spreading tops. Yet there 
is great variation in individual trees, prob¬ 
ably from the stock used in grafting or 
budding. And yet I must admit that for a 
time certain apples seem to grow to perfec¬ 
tion when grafted into some good vigorous 
tree. The McIntosh is a good example of 
this, bearing early and heavily on grafts. 
I have not found that top-working a tree 
from a bearing tree will induce early bear¬ 
ing, and I have had so little faith in im¬ 
proved strains of apples that I have used 
many scions from young trees that have 
never borne, but by their growth show 
that they are the variety desired. I be¬ 
lieve it is better to make the conditions fit 
the type of tree grown, than to make the 
tree fit its surroundings. Top-working, if 
properly done, may bring a weak and slow 
grower quicker to a bearing age, but will 
not make them strong and vigorous trees. 
Such varieties generally require good care 
and liberal feeding, and do not fit in well 
with such varieties as Baldwin, which does 
not require such high feeding for best re¬ 
sults. Such varieties may be used as semi¬ 
fillers, or perhaps better planted closer to¬ 
gether by themselves. Although top-work¬ 
ing has its uses in growing certain varie¬ 
ties of fruits, and will be employed by up- 
to-date orchardists to accomplish such re¬ 
sults, it is something that requires both 
experience and good judgment to be made 
profitable to the average grower. 
To change over young trees budding is 
the ideal method ; if properly done there is 
very little loss of time in changing from 
one variety to another. In grafting there 
is much lo'Ss of time and some injury to 
the trees; if this method is used the trees 
should be allowed to become older and of 
larger size. I have made it a rule to have 
on hand some surplus trees from three to 
six years old, according how many are 
used. These I use to replace any dead or 
other tree I wish to replace in my young 
orchards. These are taken up and trans¬ 
planted in the Spring as early as possible. 
If we do not have the variety of the miss¬ 
ing tree I immediately graft the one set to 
the variety desired. We know of no time 
so satisfactory as this for grafting trees 
of such size; they must be cut back even if 
not grafted, but the grafts starting from 
the ends of the limbs make a better shaped 
tree than if not grafted and saves cutting 
the tree back again ajfter it has got well 
started. A two or three year old tree taken 
from the nursery row and then transplanted 
can have the top cut off entirely or to the 
desired height, grafted with good stocky 
scions and make a very fair top that sea¬ 
son. In 1909 I had a young apple tree 
badly damaged by deer. This was grafted 
in 1910 to bring it into some kind of shape. 
Although I coddled it all I could to make 
it grow, it was no go, so this last season I 
took up an Ingram tree set in 1899 to test 
the variety; it had borne a few crops of 
apples and was between 5% and six inches 
in diameter. Grafts were set in 18 heads 
(36 scions) ; 35 grew the season through ; 
although the season and location (gravel) 
was very unfavorable. I now feel we have 
a tree the deer cannot spoil, and more than 
match the others for size. In this case all 
limbs were cut back as far as were grafted. 
And I see no reason why trees of this size 
or smaller may, not be profitably trans¬ 
planted, and if the tree is of some worth¬ 
less variety immediately grafted. Such 
work should be done in the Spring as early 
as possible. I have some filler trees not 
as large as the Ingram which must soon 
be removed; it is my intention to trans¬ 
plant some of these and see if the same 
tree can be used profitably ticice as a filler. 
Worcester Co., Mass. h. o. mead. 
MAINE FRUIT GROWERS. 
Interesting Meeting of the Oxford County 
Fruit Growers’ Association. 
Oxford County fruit growers have been 
particularly active in recent years, with the 
result that fruit interests in the county 
have ben rapidly advanced. The Oxford 
County Fruit Growers’ Association is one 
of the recently organized bodies that have 
set their faces towards more and better 
fruit for the county and for the State. The 
meeting of this association in Norway on 
February 13 was largely attended, and the 
lectures and discussions turned on practi¬ 
cal lines. First, there came an address by 
George H. Yeaton, Assistant State Horti¬ 
culturist, on orchard fertilization. Mr. 
Yeaton believes that proper fertilization is 
at the foundation of successful apple cul¬ 
ture, and places this as first in the meth¬ 
ods of orchard management that should be 
studied. He has demonstrated in his own 
orchards, he thinks, the truth of his claim. 
At the close of Mr. Yeaton’s address he 
urged the fruit growers of the county fo 
make exhibits at the annual State fruit 
show to be held in Portland in the Fall, 
and Instanced the fact that the new fruit 
show is to be held in conjunction with it, 
the first time this New England fruit show 
has ever come to Maine. The matter of 
better grading and packing and a possible 
revision ofr the apple laws was then taken 
up and plans made for bringing about the 
necessary changes. 
Mr. It. L. Cummings then took the floor 
and spoke on the law and its effect on the 
export trade. He claims packers cannot live 
up to the law, as apples cannot be shipped 
under its provisions, in time. His idea is 
that poor fruit should be marketed as well 
as the good, to the end that poor people 
may have fruit as well as the rich. What¬ 
ever the market wants, that can be raised 
at a profit, should be sold without hind¬ 
rance of law. Mr. Cummings then touched 
upon the rates charged for shipping apples 
abroad and mentioned many unjust condi¬ 
tions. He said he formerly sent apples 
across the water for 30 cents while he now 
pays 63 cents. The last “knockdown” of 
Bix cents was put on January 1. These 
rates have been increasing ever since J. P. 
Morgan got control of the business. We 
used to be able to get a reduction by ship¬ 
ping 20,000 barrels; now we cannot. The 
advance all comes from the central office. 
In 1910 we paid 57 cents for shipping 
apples, or 7% times as much as was paid 
for shipping cotton and flour and hay. 
From near Paris station there are shipped 
15,000 barrels of apples each year. This 
freight amounts to $6,500. Captain Kidd 
was hung for stealing a few ships, but 
some of the “captains of industry” of the 
steamship lines have stolen more and they 
go free. For instance. Secretary ITeald has 
paid $25 since January 1 because of this 
increase, and next year, if it is a good fruit 
year, he will pay $300. Each steamer takes 
10,000 tons dead weight and the increase 
in the freight on our apples amounts to 
$27,000. We pay much more to have our 
apples shipped to England than they do to 
have their goods shipped here. This is not 
fair to American industry. When Mr. 
Cummings finished his address the matter 
of excessive freight rates was taken up, 
and he was made a committee to represent 
the association at the meeting of the State 
Federation of Agricultural Clubs at Orono, 
the first week in March. 
B. WALKER MC KEEN. 
The Pernicious Cutworm. 
Cutworms were so extremely trouble¬ 
some in Minnesota in 1910 that Prof. 
Washburn gives considerable space to them 
in Bulletin No. 123 of the Minnesota Ex¬ 
periment Station. The bulletin states that 
while many birds prey upon cutworms— 
and although they are eaten by some other 
insects, and are the victims of parasitic 
forms, to say nothing of diseases bacterial 
or fungoid—nevertheless farmers are often 
obliged to take active means against them 
in order to save their crops. A bait made 
of bran mash sweetened with cheap sugar 
or molasses, and made decidedly green with 
a liberal application of Paris green, is a 
very good remedy in a garden. A table¬ 
spoonful of this should be put at frequent 
intervals among the plants subject to at¬ 
tack ; not, however, nearer than 12 inches 
to the plant; for, in case of rain, the 
Paris green might be washed against the 
roots, and would injure or kill the plant. 
The Paris green should be mixed with the 
bran when the latter is dry. Thorough cul¬ 
tivation is an aid. Pieces of shingle or 
board, placed at intervals over the garden, 
serve as traps under which the cutworms 
hide toward morning, when they may be 
found and killed. Frequently the depreda¬ 
tor will be found in the morning, within 
an inch or so of the plant cut, buried an 
inch under the soil. Young plants like 
cabbage, cauliflower, etc., when not too 
numerous, when first set out in a small 
garden, should be protected by paper or 
tin, or a barrier of some sort, which should 
extend into the ground an inch or so, and 
two or three inches above the surface. This 
can be removed when the plant becomes so 
tough as not to Invite attacks from the cut¬ 
worm. On large acreages, Fall plowing 
and thorough cultivation affords perhaps 
the most practical treatment. Cutworms, 
as stated above, are likely to be especially 
troublesome the next year after sod. Some 
farmers, in 1910, reseeded their grain fields 
with flax on account of the grain being de¬ 
stroyed by cutworms. 
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