130 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Feb., 19 12. 



The cleft graft is used chiefly for working over old trees or larger 

 stock. When working with either of these grafts on stock of greater 

 diameter than the scion, care should be taken to get as great a contact 

 between the sap layer of one side of the scion and stock as possible. 

 Also, materials should be at hand for bandaging up the wound to exclude 

 the air and hold the scion firmly in position. Raffia, strips of waxed 

 paper, or clpth will be found suitable for this purpose. 



TwO' scions are usually put in each cleft in working OA'er old trees; if 

 too many shbdts spring from them, they should be removed in the next 

 season. A great many adventitious buds spring out on limbs that have 

 been cut back for grafting — these should be thinned out so as not to inter- 

 fere with the growth of the scions. 



Old trees may be successfully worked over by heading down the top. 

 When the strong young shoots develop they may be budded ; the l)uds 

 usually take better in the new growths. 



{To be Coiitimied.) 



ORCHARD AND GARDEN NOTES. 



E. E. Pescott, Principal, Horticultural School, Burnley. 



The Orchard. 



Green Manure. 



The benefits accruing from growing a cover crop for green manure are 

 evervwhere recognised. The crop should be planted as soon as possible 

 after the early autumn rains have prepared the ground for the plough. 

 As the crop makes no growth in winter, and very little in the spring time — 

 it being advisable to plough it in as early as possible in spring — it is ad- 

 vantageous to get a good and abundant growth in the autumn. Conse- 

 quently, the earlier the crop is planted, the greater the amount of herbage 

 there will be for manurial purposes. 



The crop may be sown towards the end of February. A leguminous 

 crop should be preferred before any other, owing to the amount of nitrogen 

 which this class of plants contains. The sowing will need to be a plentiful 

 one, as it is well to have a good dense growth. Field peas and tares or 

 vetches are generally grown for the purpose. The partridge variety of 

 the field pea is coming intO' favour for this work. In some instances, the 

 tick bean has also been used with good success. 



In ordinary orchard .soils, it is often advisable to sow i cwt. each 

 of bonedust and superphosphate per acre, to stimulate the crop into a 

 quick and good growth. 



