PROPAGATION OF TREES. 



they are quite watery and stringy — so miicli so as to be utterly uneatable to all who 

 have ever used a good article. For this reason I would not advise their culture as far 

 north as Central New York ; not at least until you strike the shores of the western 

 lakes, -where the summer is from two to four weeks longer, and allows the plant a 

 proportionally longer period to mature its tubers. 



I have written the preceding directions, not to encourage their culture, but to aid 

 those who are determined to try that culture for themselves. Some of my directions 

 will seem quite unnecessary to those ftimiliar with their culture. 



PROPAGATION OF TREES. 



BT M. W. PHILIPS, EDWAKDS, MISS. 



I HAVE written nothing about Horticulture so long, that I feel almost ashamed to 

 begin again. Yet I do not know but it is as well for me not to begin. For the 

 past three or four years, I have been so much engaged in other fields of exertion 

 that I have not read as much in either Horticulture or Agriculture as had been 

 my custom for twenty years, and the little I have read, some four or five Agricultural 

 papers, contains so much of new — to me — principle that I am behind the age. I am 

 therefore fearful that I may run foul of some exploded doctrine ; this, to me, would 

 be awful, as I detest the cognomen of fogyism so much. 



I have been trying two modes of grafting, which I see not laid down, by writers, 

 and have so well succeeded that I wish to give it forth, and inquire of you what you 

 think at least of the first, viz : — 



Having been advised by two or three plain country folks, to try laying the entire 

 scion in the earth, with the top end only out of ground, inserting grafts every eight 

 to twelve inches, I tried a few Apples last year. I succeeded as well as with any 

 mode of grafting I ever tried. The plan : — I took a long straight scion, say five to 

 eight feet long, laid it upon a stout solid plank, and with a hammer and half-inch 

 firmer chisel split through the stock about every ten inches, in which I inserted a graft 

 already prepared, wedge-shaped, thrusting through the stock, then buried in the earth, 

 leaving grafts and top end out of the earth. I had over five feet growth, — a bad year 

 for growth, and in a situation shaded at least one-half the day. What I desire is, to 

 know whether trees thus grown will probably do as well as others ? I have seen ob- 

 jections made to root grafting, another favorite method of mine. 



I am told that Peaches, grafted as above, do equally as well as Apples. I have 

 tried a few Pears this year, for curiosity. 



My second mode, and from whom I learned it, I now forget, — is, to cut scion and 

 graft as for splice grafting, and split down on face of splice and make a tongue, cut- 

 ting nothing out; and then thrust the grafts down so that the tongues enter each split, 

 done thus upon grafts and stock nearly one-half inch in diamater. Upon 

 and grafts, I can- prepare aa many or more grafts as in wedge or cleft graft 



