NOTES ON GRAFTING. 



331 



Matthews, of Coshocton, 0., each, a tree 

 of this last grafting. I am induced to be- 

 lieve, that had I kept part of the grafts they 

 would have succeeded, worked in August. 



I received from Messrs. Elliott & Co., 

 in the spring of 1847, I believe, a tree of 

 Van Mons' Leon Le Clerc pear, which 

 never burst a bud until September follow- 

 ing. In the month of August, I cut several 

 grafts from this tree, and worked them on 

 apple stocks, in order to save the variety; 

 they grew remarkably well. 



Previous to last spring, I had been very 

 unsuccessful in grafting the cherry, — having 

 practiced splice and tongue, or cleft and 

 saddle grafting. In saddle grafting, I pur- 

 sued the method as detailed by you in your 

 "Fruit Trees," but found it tedious and 

 slow to split the graft, and then pare it out 

 with a small blade, besides being very dif- 

 ficult to have a regular smooth surface. I 

 discovered, upon examining my budded 

 cherry stocks last spring, that out of some 

 six or seven hundred, one hundred and 

 fifty would not grow ; and having cut grafts 

 at the proper period, I determined to graft 

 all the doubtful ones. In the winter sea- 

 son, when nights are long, and leisure time 

 always to be had, I take what is called, 

 with us, "post-office" paper, — being very 

 thin and tough, (I enclose a sample,) and 

 cut the sheets lengthwise, in strips three- 

 fourths of an inch wide, then dip them into 

 melted grafting wax, drawing them be- 

 tween two sticks, previously prepared, — 

 having a slight shaving taken from each, 

 widening the opening towards the end or 

 point ; the opposite ends are tied together. 

 You thus easily introduce each slip and 

 draw it through, depriving it of all unne- 

 cessary wax ; and, as thus prepared, I put 

 each strip lengthwise upon top of the other, 

 pressing the ends down, so as to make them 

 adhere, until I have upon one heap a 



"stick" or bunch of grafting paper, num- 

 bering each bunch from 150 to 200. They 

 will remain thus together, until taken off" 

 for use. 



My method of preparing the graft is as 

 follows : Take the graft in your left hand, 

 and, with a sharp blade, (one that is broad 

 and thin is best ; a shoemaker's knife, 

 ground and properly prepared, does finely;) 

 make an incision downwards from three- 

 fourths to one inch long, commencing at 

 the outer edge or bark, drawing j'^our blade 

 gently from heel to point, so that you finish 

 your cut in the centre of the graft. Re- 

 verse the knife, or graft, and make a simi- 

 lar cut opposite the first, meeting it at its 

 extremity. You thus take out a wedge, 

 leaving a regular, smooth and even surface 

 in the graft. Top your stock in wedge 

 form to fit the graft, which can be done so 

 neatly as scarcely to be perceived. (I would 

 remark, that I always endeavor to have the 

 stock, when cut ofl^, about the same size as 

 the graft.) Then take a strip of the waxed 

 paper, and wrap the union several times to 

 keep out the air and wet, drawing it tight, 

 and tying it slightly with some bass. A 

 slip of this paper always binds four grafts 

 with me. You, of course, will loosen and 

 take ofi" both tying and paper at the proper 

 period of growth. This fit is so neat, and 

 the bulk of the shoot, where grafted, so 

 small, that few will notice it. Those who 

 visited my nursery during the season were 

 forcibly struck with the entire success at- 

 tending my spring grafting. I lost so few, 

 as scarcely to be worth naming. From 

 seven scions, kindly seiat me, by mail, by 

 Dr. RuMSEY, (of Fishkilj Landing, N. Y.,) 

 cut from his late Morello, I raised eight 

 pretty trees. One scion being longer than 

 necessary, I cut off about an inch of wood 

 with but one bud only ; it made a neat tree. 

 And with two grafts of Bigarreau gros 



