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curious 



The ufe of grafting is to propagate any 

 forts of fruits, fo as to be certain of the kinds, which 

 cannot be done by any other method ; for as all the 

 good fruits have been accidentally obtained from feeds, 

 lo the feeds of thefe, when fown, will many of them 

 degenerate, and produce fuch fruit as are not worth 

 cultivating ; but when fl-ioots are taken from fuch 

 trees as produce good fruit, thefe will never alter 

 from their kind, whatever be the flock, or tree, on 

 which they are grafted ; for though the grafts receive 

 their nourilhment from the flocks, yet their varieties 

 are never altered by them, but continue to produce 

 the fame kind of fruit as the tree from which they 

 were taken i the only alteration is, that when the 

 flocks on which they are grafted do not grow fo 

 fall, and afford a fuiHcient fupply of nourifhment 

 to the grafts, they will not make near fo ^ great 

 progrefs as they otherwife would do, nor will the 

 frui? they produce be fo fair, and fometimes not fo 



well flavoured, • 



Thefe fKoots are termed cions, or graffs; in the 

 choice of thefe the following diredions fliould be care- 

 fully obferved.. ift, That they are fhoots of the for- 

 mer year, for when they are older, they never fuc- 

 ceedwell. 2dly, Always, to take them from healthy 

 fruitful trees, for if the trees are fickly from whence 

 they are taken, the grafts very often partake lb much 

 of the diflemper as rarely to get the better of it, at leaft 

 for fome years \ and when they are taken from young 

 • luxuriant trees, whofe vefTels are generally large, they 

 will continue to produce luxuriant flioots, and are fel- 

 domfo fruitful as thofe which are taken from fruitful 

 trees, whofe (hoots are more compaft, and the joints 

 clofer together j at leafl it will be a great number of 

 years before the luxuriant grafts begin to produce 

 fruit, if they are managed with the greateft fkill. 

 3dly, You fhould prefer thofe grafts which are taken 

 from the lateral, or horizontal branches, to thofe from 

 theflrong perpendicular Ihoots, for the reafons before 



Thefe grafts, or cions, IhoyW be QUt ofFfrom .the 

 trees, befgre their buds begin to fwell, which is gene- 

 rally three weeks or a month before the feafon for 

 grafting ; therefore, when they are cut off, they fhould 

 be laid in the ground with the cut downwards, bury- 

 ing thern half their length, and covering their tops 

 with dry litter,* to prevent their dryirig •, if a fmall 

 joint of the former year's wood is cut off with the 

 cion, it will preferve it the better, and when they are 

 grafted, this may be cut ofFj for at the fame time the 

 cions xnufl be cut to a proper length before they are 

 inferted in the flocks \ but, till then, the fhoots 

 Ibould remain their full length, as they were taken j Of late years fome perfons have made ufe of another 



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feed, and that have been once or twice tranfplanted. 

 Next to thefe, are thofe frocks which have been raifcd 

 from cuttings, or layers, but thofe which are fuckers 

 from the roots of other trees fhould always be re- 

 jected, for thefe are never fo well rooted as the others 

 and conftantly put out a great number of fuckers 

 from their roots, whereby the borders and walks 

 of the garden will be always peflered with them dur- 

 ing the fummer feafon, which is not only unfio-htly 

 but they alfo take off part of the nourilhment frora 

 the trees. 



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If thefe flocks have been allowed a proper diftance 

 in the nurfery where they have grown, the wood v/jU 

 be better ripened, and more compaft than thofe which 

 have grown clofe and have been there drawn up to 

 a greater height; the wood of thefe will be fou, and 

 their veffels large, fo that the cions grafted into them 

 will fhoot very ilrong, but they wil! be lefs difpofed to 

 produce fruit than the other ; and when trees acquire 

 an ill habit at firft, it will be very dihicuk to reclaim 

 them afterward. 



Having direfted the choice of cions and (locks, we 

 come next to the operation, in order to which you 

 muft be provided with the foUov/ing tools. 



1. A neat fmall hand-fav<r to cut off the heads of large 

 flocks. 



2. A good flrong knife with a thick back, to make 

 clefts in the flocks. 



3. A fharp penknife to cut the grafts, 



4. A grafting chifiel and a fmall mallet. 



5. Bafs firings, or woollen yarn, to tie the grafts 

 with, and fuch other inllruments and materials as you 

 fhould find necefTary, according to the manner of 

 grafting you are to perform. 



6. A quantity of clay, which fhould be prepared a 

 month before it is ufed, and kept turned and mixed, 

 lik.e,n3ortar..eyery other day, which is to be made af- 

 ter the following manner: . ^ 



Get a quantity of flrong fat -loam (in proporrioa 

 to the quantity of trees intended to be grafted, then 

 take fome new flone-horfe dung, and break it in 

 amongft the loam, and if you cut a little flraw, or 

 hay, very fmall, and mix amongft it, the loam will 

 hold together the better •, and if there be a quantity 

 of fait added, it will prevent the clay from dividing 

 in dry weather ; thefe muft be well ftirred together, 

 putting water to them after the manner of making 

 mortar; it fhould be hollowed like a dilli, and filled 

 with water, and kept every other day ftirred ; but it 

 ought to be remembered, that it lliould not be ex- 

 pofed to the froft, or drying winds, and the oftenerit 

 is ftirred and wrought the better. 



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from the tree, which will preferve them better from 

 Ihrinking ; if thefe cions are to be carried to a con- 



compofition for grafting, which they have found to 

 anfwer the intention' of keeping out the ain, -better 



fiderable diftance, it will be proper to put their ends than the clay before defcribed. This is compofedof 

 into a lump of clay, and to wrap them up in mofs, 

 which will preferve them frefh for a month, or longer ; 

 but thefe fhould be cut off earlier from the trees than 



turpentine, beesrv/ax, and rofin, m.elted together, 

 which, when of a proper confiftence, may be put on 

 the ftock round the graft, in the fame manner as the 



thofe which are to be grafted near the place where clay is ufually applied; and though it be not above a 



the trees are grov/ing. 



Having given direftions for the cions and grafts, 



'we next come to that of the ftock, which is a term 



quarter of an inch thick, yet it will keep out the air 

 more eftedually than the clay ; and as cold will harden 

 this, there is no danger of its being hurt by froft. 



applied to the trees intended for grafting ; thefe are which is very apt to caufe the clay to cleave, and fome- 

 either fuch old trees as are already growing in the | times fall ofJ'; and when the heat of fummer comes on^ 



this mixture will melt, and fall oft^withoutj^ny^ trou- 

 • ble,.- In ufing of this, there Ihould be atin, or cop- 

 per-pot, with conveniency under it to keep a very 

 . gentle fire with fmall-coal, otherwife the cold will 

 foon condenfe the mixture ; but you muft be careful 

 not to apply it too hot, left you injure the graft. ^ A 



places v/here they are to remain, whofe fruit is intended 

 to be changed, or young trees, which have been 

 raifed kn a nurfery for a fupply to the garden ; in the 

 ' former cafe there is no other choice, but that of the 

 branches, which fhould be fuch as are young, healthy, 

 well fituated, and have a fmooth bark ; if thefe trees 



.are growing againft walls, or efpaliers, it will be 

 proper to graft fix, eight, or ten branches, ac- 

 cording to the fize of the trees, by which they will 



. be much fooner furniflied with branches again, than 

 when a lefs number of cions are put in ; but in 

 |landard-trees, four, or at moft fix cions will be fuf- 

 ficient., 



, In the choice of young ftocks for grafting, you 

 fhould always prefer fuch as have been railed from the 



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perfon who is a little accuftomcd to this compofition, 

 will apply it very faft, and it is much eafier for him 

 than clay, efpecially if the feafon fhould prove cold. 

 There are feveral ways of grafting, the principal of 



which are four:r,.~ . '- 



i. Grafting in the rind, called alfo Ihoulder-grafN 

 ing, which is only proper foV large trees; thisis 

 called crown-grafting, becaufe. the grafts are fet in 

 form of a circle, or crown, and is generally pcr- 



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