GRAFTING. 6% 
Herbaceous Grafting is very badly named, as it gives the idea of its 
being a kind of grafting applied to herbaceous plants; whereas, in 
fact, it only means grafting with the brittle wood of the current 
year, in opposition to common grafting, which is always performed 
with firm wood, frequently of several years’ growth. Herbaceous 
grafting is now generally used for trees of the pine and fir tribe, 
which, only a few years ago, it was thought impossible to graft at 
all. The proper time for this kind of grafting is when the young 
pime-shoots have made about three parts of their growth, and are 
still so herbaceous as to break readily between the fingers, like a 
shoot of asparagus. The shoot of the stock is then broken off about 
two inches below the point, and all the leaves stripped off for nearly 
two inches more, except two sheaths of leaves, which are left, one 
on each side, close to the top. The shoot is then split with a very 
thin knife between the sheaths of leaves left on, and the scion, having 
had its lower extremity prepared by stripping off the leaves, and 
cutting it into the shape of a wedge, is inserted as in cleft grafting, 
and the parts are bound together with list, or with a strip of thin 
woollen cloth. A cone of paper is then put over the whole to pro- 
tect it from the sun and rain, and the graft is very seldom found to 
fail. 
Sometimes this kind of grafting is applied to annual plants. The 
period chosen should be when the plant is in its greatest vigour, and 
is just going into flower. The flower stem is cut off close to a leaf, 
and a slit is made in the stem downwards. The scion is then taken 
off near the root of the plant, and the end, being cut into a wedge- 
shape, is inserted in the slit. The wound is afterwards bound up 
with strips of cloth spread with grafting wax, and the leaf taken great 
care of. When the graft begins to grow, this leaf and all the shoots 
above it are removed. In this manner artichokes have been grafted 
on cardoons, and caulifowers on cabbages with great success. 
Tornatoes have also been grafted on potatoes, the potatoes perfecting 
their tubers, and the tomatoes their fruit, at the same time; and it is 
said that the ripening of the latter was much accelerated. This 
mode of grafting was invented by the Baron Tschoudy, a gentleman 
residing at Metz, and the principal point in it which requires atten- 
tion, is the preserving a leaf, or two leaves, at the extremity of the 
stock, to serve as nurses to the graft. 
Inarching, or Grafting by Approach—Though I have left this till 
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