202 THE GARDENER. [May 



and perhaps the best, is the shield-budding, which has already been 

 explained in these papers. It is of the greatest importance to look 

 regularly over the buds once a fortnight or so, to see that none of the 

 ligatures are too tight; and if so, have them loosened. There is nothing 

 more likely to sow the seeds of disease in the young tree than to 

 allow the ligatures to remain upon the buds until the stock has become 

 marked or cut thereby. 



Grafting is a mode of propagating the Apricot that is seldom had 

 recourse to under ordinary circumstances. Where necessity may 

 compel its adoption, the best and surest mode is whip-grafting. In 

 the case of old trees this will be considered almost an impossibility, 

 when it is known that success cannot be depended upon unless recourse 

 is had to the earthing-up process — that is to say, earth must be drawn 

 up over the stock and graft much in the way that it is done to vege- 

 tables. The stock ought to be cut over in winter, when the trees are 

 dormant; and the scions should also be procured about this time — at all 

 events, not later than the first week in February. The best and firmest 

 shoots should be selected for this purpose, and if one inch of the scion 

 is of two-year-old wood, the greater will be the chance of success. 

 About the middle of March is a good time to perform this operation, 

 but circumstances alone can be the guide. The Apricot, however, 

 breaks into active growth at a much earlier period of the spring than 

 any other fruit which I have already alluded to, and as a rule we may 

 say that the operation should be performed two or three weeks earlier 

 upon it than upon either the Pear or Apple. As soon as the operation 

 is finished, the soil may be drawn up as already hinted, so as to cover 

 over the clay that surrounds the graft. This is of much advantage to 

 the scion, and facilitates the union. The soil, being drawn up in this 

 fashion, serves the double purpose of excluding the air and keeping 

 both stock and graft in a more favourable condition than if fully ex- 

 posed to the drying and withering influences of sun and atmosphere. 

 Unions are thus often formed by grafting where it would be impos- 

 sible without the aid of earthing-up. Stocks that are intended to pro- 

 duce dwarf fan-trees ought to be worked at a height of about 10 to 12 

 inches from the ground, whereas those intended for riders should be 

 worked at heights varying from 4 to 6 feet. Some cultivators have 

 adopted a system of rebudding for the avowed purpose of obtaining 

 dwarf trees ; that is to say, they bud upon a dwarf stock, and again 

 bud upon the last inserted bud the following year. This, no doubt 

 has the desired effect, but unless the walls are under the average 

 height it will not be necessary. Where the wall is below 8 feet in 

 height, I might recommend a trial of the system for curiosity and in- 

 formation's sake, as it is a well-known fact to all practical men that 



