44 PROPAGATIOX OF FRUITS. 



plain that any farmer may perform the operation without the 

 least difficulty : It is performed upon stocks from one to two 

 inches in diameter. The head of the stock being carefully 

 cut off in a sloping direction, a perpendicular cleft or slit is 

 to be made about two inches deep, with a knife or chisel, to- 

 wards the back of the slope, into which a wedge is to be driven 

 in order to keep it open for the admission of the scion ; the 

 latter must now be cut in a perpendicular direction, and in 

 the form of a wedge, so as t6 fit the incision in the stock. As 

 soon as it is prepared it should be placed in the cleft in such 

 a manner that the inner bark of both the stock and scion may 

 meet exacthj together ; two scions may be inserted if the stock 

 is large. It is then to be tied with a ligature of bass, cotton- 

 wick, or other pliable banda^re, and clayed over, as is prac- 

 ticed in whip-grafting, three or four eyes being left in the scion 

 uncovered. The proper season for this mode of grafting is 

 the same as the preceding, viz : February and March, although 

 it will answer all through April. Towards the latter end of 

 May, or beginning of June, the junction of the graft and stock 

 will be completed, and the latter begin to shoot; when the 

 clay may be taken off, and, in the course of a fortnight or 

 three weeks, the bandages may be removed. 



" Extreme branch-grafting^'' or grafting over the top of an 

 old tree, is a very great acquisition to those who take pleasure 

 in cultivating good fruit. The process is copied from the 

 Trans. Soe. Arts, London, and is as follows : 



" Cut away all the spray wood, and make the tree a perfect 

 skeleton, leaving all the healthy limbs; then clean the branches 

 and cut the top of each branch off, where it would measure in 

 circumference from the size of a shilling to that of a crown- 

 piece. Some of the branches must, of course, be taken off 

 where they are a little larger, and some smaller, to preserve 

 the canopy or head of the tree ; and it will be necessary to 

 take out the branches which cross other, and observe the 

 arms are left to fork off, so that no considerable opening is to 

 be perceived when you stand under the tree, but that they 



may represent an uniform head When preparing the 



tree, leave the branches sufficiently long to allow of two or 



