6o 



IRISH GARDENING. 



The Month's Work. 

 The Fruit Grounds. 



By William R. Spencer, Manor House Garden-,. 

 Loughgall, Co. Armagfh. 



Grafting. 



THE grafiing^ of apples, pears and plums may now 

 be done. The pears and plums first demand 

 our attention ; they must be done first, as 

 growth is much earlier in them than in apples. The 

 apple may be done any time during the month, and the 

 later the more easily the operation is carried out, 

 always bearing in mind that growth in the scion is not 

 too forward. The)' ought to have been secured during 

 pruning time, and laid in where they would be 

 free from the effects of sun and frost. If this has been 

 done, as advised in a previous calendar, they will be 

 in good condition for grafting until late in the season. 

 Use good, plump shoots about the thickness of an 

 ordinary pen-handle and about six inches long. The 

 tools necessary for this work are a fine saw, a large 

 knife, a small knife, also rafiia or soft twine for binding 

 on the scions, and grafting-wax or a clay mixture to 

 exclude air. There are very many forms of grafting, 

 some of them more fanciful than practical. For the 

 purpose of this article two or three will suffice. They 

 are the methods, at present, most generally emplo3'ed, 

 besides, they are so simple that anyone may success- 

 fully perform them who has only sufficient courage to 

 try their hand at it. 



Bark or Rind Grafting is the method now- 

 adopted in favour of the old form of grafting — viz., cleft 

 grafting. For the renovation of old trees saw off the 

 branch at a clean portion of its stem, free from knots. 



now required is to bind it firmly in position (a simple 

 matter in this case), and clay or wax over ; two or three 

 grafts may be put on one branch, according to its size ; 

 one or two are generally sufficient. In pushing home the 

 grafts in this method it is important to bear in mind 

 ihat the bark of the graft is liable to be torn, especially 

 if the sap is not very active in the stock. To guard 

 against this the bark should be first detached the length 

 the graft is to be inserted. The handle of a budding 

 knife may be used to do this. 



Whip or Tongue Grafting. —The form of grafting 

 used where the stock and scion are of equal dimensions 

 or nearly so ; used in nurseries for grafting on the 

 Crab and Paradise stocks, also quince, &c. The stock 



smoothe over the cut surface with the large knife, cut the 

 bark ;ibout three inches down the slock ; also cut the 

 scion obliquely a similar length, lift the bark where the 

 cut was made and insert the end of graft, push it down 

 until its cut surface is covered by the bark of slock. .\11 



is cut over above .'i smooth and straight part, the end 

 of the scion is cut sloping and thin towards the lower 

 part, then on the same side of the stock as the slope 

 made in cutting off its top a slice is cut clean off, equal 

 in length to that of the cut part of the scion, and in 

 breadth , so as to expose as much of the wood of the 

 stock as will equal that seen in the slanting cut of the 

 scion. Both sections should be made smooth and plain, 

 and as regards the wood, they should be the exact 

 counterparts of each other. If this cannot be, they must 

 be exact on one side at least. .-V thin, wedge-shaped 

 tongue is made near the upper part of the slope in the 

 scion, and a corresponding one in the stock to receive 

 it. It ts then secureh' fastened by binding firmly with 

 raffia or similar material. The parts united must be 

 made air-tight by either waxing or claying them over. 

 Trees devoid of branches in parts where they are re- 

 quired may have shoots w-hip-grafted without cutting 

 back to the part. .\ slice is cut out of the side of 

 the branch or stem, the scions being prepared as 

 before, but minus the tongue. Instead a notch is cut 

 in the stock in centre of the cut right across it, and a 

 portion of the wood left in the centre of cut portion of 

 scion to fit into it. Place in position, tie and wax over. 

 For a similar purpose — to fill up blanks in trees — where 

 a branch is required a cut about three inches long is 

 made down the bark, and two inches across the top of 

 the cut ; thus, T. The scion is prepared as in bark 

 grafting ; the bark is lifted where the two cuts join, and 

 the scion pushed into position. This is a very simple 

 method of furnishing bare trees, and most reliable. 



