Inasmuch as this question has been asked a great many times by people, what age to plant a tree, whether it is best to plant young trees or trees four or five years old, I will say I am in favor of young trees, and I am in favor of grafting a tree when it is young.
Mr. Brackett: Isn't that a general opinion in the West where they make a business of planting large orchards?
Mr. Philips: I think so. I think that is the case.
Mrs. Cadoo: Can you graft onto a Martha crab and have success with that?
Mr. Philips: I never had very good success with the Martha crab; it isn't vigorous enough.
Mrs. Cadoo: We had a tree twelve years and got seven apples.
Mr. Philips: Well, I think I got eight. (Laughter.) I believe with the Martha crab if you will plant it where there are other crab trees around it you get a pretty good crop, but not if you isolate it. I have an idea it is not self-fertilizing. I think that is the trouble with the Martha. It is a nice crab.
Mr. Brackett: You showed the difference in size there, those top-worked and those not—don't you think that is because of cutting the top back? You throw a heavy growth in there, which makes the fruit that much larger?
Mr. Philips: Well, it might be.
Mr. Street: Have you had any experience in budding in August or first of September on those trees?