The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-05-15

no top grew six feet high the first
summer which was a much greater
height than any of the others attained.
| cut it back to about three feet where
it forked and made a beautiful tree and
was the first to bear plums.
4
An old tree can not be treated that
way but in the case of young trees, l
would always save the root and grow
Il new top. But with old trees, if they
have any top at all, l would not dig
them out but would top work them. l
do not dig out worthless apple trees
but top-graft them. A tree treated in
this way will come into bearing much
quicker than a new tree set out from
the nursery. The idea that many have
that worked tree will be weak at
the point of union and the whole tree
will be feeble is not borne out by ex-
perience. Many tests have been made
by our scientific men to determine the
strength of these top-worked trees, and
to the surprise of many it has been
found that such trees are really
stronger at the point of union than any
where else. This is not surprising
when we study the structure of the
fbers at these places. They are longer
and interlap more than elsewhere in
the tree. 1t seems to be wise arrange
ment of nature to strengthen the weak
points and from the weaker these places
become the stronger. A top-worked
tree will live as long and often bear
better than one not so treated. A man
in Indiana has an orchard of 800 acres
all top-worked trees. First the CRAFTS.
oil Of he
on pieces of roots. When these trees
were removed from the nursery to the
orchard the piece of root was cut off.
thus leaving the tree on it's own roots.
1t should be observed that the scions
were long and the root pieces short.
The CRAFTS were set deep so that but
one bud was above the ground All
the buds under the ground would grow
to roots as is we'll known. And by the
way, that is the best way to grow trees
in the nursery-a long scion and a short
piece of root, thus growing a tree on
its own roots. Now these Northern
Spy trees on their own roots were top
worked to other varieties. This man
claims that he has an ideal orchard for
hardness of trees. There can be no
doubt about his claims, for the North
ern Spy is an ideal tree for vigor and
hardness.
4
Speaking of the Forest Garden plum
l wish to say that every family ought
to have a few trees if they can be Sc
cured. The Forest Garden was origin
ally wild plum growing in the thickets
near Council Bluffs, Iowa. nursery
man by the name of Hammond, seeing
what an excellent plum it is for ana itv
began to propagate it in his nursery
and it has been scattered far and wide.
1t is not a profitable plum to grow COM
| mercially but for a plum for home use
and especially to be eaten out of the
| hand, it can not be surpassed. We raise
twenty or more varieties of plums on
our ranch but when I want a feast on
plums I go to the Forest Garden trees |
We have also the Minor plum growing
near the Forest Garden This plum
is excellent in quality but will not
bear alone. SO we planted two rows
of the Minor trees and then on each
side of these we planted a row of For
est Garden. The Minor plum is a strik-
ing illustration of the fact that many
kinds of plants are deficient in pollen
Some have plenty of pollen but it is
| discharged either too soon or too late
for the right condition of the stigmas
of the pistils. Mixing different varie-
ties of the same species of fruit is
sometimes absolutely necessary and
nearly always is beneficial. A thorough
knowledge of agricultural botany will
convince anyone of the truth of this
statement and show the reason for such
| a course.