GRAFTING BEARING APPLE TREES.
BY J. M. McAINSH, ST. MARYS, ONT.
When my apple orchard came into bearing some years ago, I found that I had more Summer and Fall varieties than I needed for my own use. On trying to dispose of them, I found they were a perfect drug, the market being completely glutted with them. I grafted them with good Winter varieties, which have done well, and are now coming into a bearing state. I think this is a better plan than rooting them out and planting young trees in their stead. Of course if the grafting is done in an improper manner the trees cannot be expected to do well; and in the case of very old trees, probably the best way would be to root them out, and plant young trees in their stead. But in the case of young healthy trees, say from ten to fifteen, or even twenty years old, if they are properly grafted they will soon form large well-formed heads, which will bear a considerable quantity of fruit, while small trees just taken from the nursery would only be making wood growth. All through the country there are many vigorous, healthy trees, bearing only poor or unsaleable fruit, which, if they were grafted with profitable varieties, would in the course of a few years be a source of profit to their owners.
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