ffin suffices in place of grafting wax and melted paraffin is
brushed over the entire scion, buds and all, as well as over the wound
in the stock.

The time for cutting back hickories in preparation for topworking is
probably important and in my experience to date, autumn cutting is
preferable. The reason is that a good deal of activity is going on in
the tree before it enters into a state of winter rest and wounds are
pretty well repaired. In winter cutting there is some danger of
incomplete repair and in the springtime the free flow of sap invites the
entrance of various enemies, bacterial and fungous. Summer cutting
according to the laws of plant physiology would cause more shock to the
tree than cutting at any other time, although practically I have done
this successfully. Without regard to season for cutting in preparation
for topworking it is very important to trim cut ends very smoothly with
a sharp knife in order to remove ragged tissue left by the saw. It is
difficult to persuade employees to do this and it will not be done as a
rule unless the owner looks after the matter personally. The smoothly
trimmed end of the cut branch should immediately be protected with white
paint, melted paraffin, or some other protective covering.

What are the disadvantages of the slot bark method of topworking
hickories? The scion does not have such a secure hold upon the stock as
it does in cleft grafting and it will blow out in a high wind unless it
is protected by braces. I have found it not harmful to a tree to fasten
laths to the stock for holding the growing scion, driving galvanized
iron nails through the lath directly into the stock. Unless growing
grafts are well braced by some method the entire season's work may be
lost in two minutes of a gale preceding a thunderstorm in summer. By the
slot bark method, in other words, we may catch more grafts and lose more
grafts than by any other method with which I am familiar, but the loss
may be avoided by proper attention.

The best time for grafting varies with the locality. At Stamford I have
grafted hickories from February until September. Very early grafting is
largely a failure because of incomplete repair of the wound in the stock
and scion. Late summer grafting is not practical because the scions
which make a start do not lignify their new shoots sufficiently to
withstand the winter cold. In late April or early May when the sap is
running very freely we also have a consi