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and the pollen be applied to the stigma j " When such portions of the latter 

 from the male desired to be the other , as are shortened for receiving the grafts 

 parent. No very superior varieties have I have made a bit of shoot, graft as you 

 yet rewarded those who have attempted [ would other fruit trees, taking care to 



thus to improve the grape. 



preserve the shoot at the top in claying. 



left this record of his experiments on 

 the same mode of propagation : — "I 

 conceived it probable that the success 

 of the Roman cultivators in grafting 

 their vines might arise from the selec- 



Budding. — A good authority thus and until the buds on the scion have 



states his mode: — , pushed, then shorten it back. Inarching 



" About the first week in March I may be performed any time after the 



perform the operation : or, as soon as vines have started, so far as to bleed." 



I perceive the sap begin to rise, I cut — Gard. Chron. 



from a branch, about three inches in Mr. Knight, the late eminent pre- 

 length, an eye having attached as much sident of the Horticultural Society, has 

 wood as I could possibly get with it; 

 at each end of the eye, I cut off about 

 a quarter of an inch of the upper bark, 

 making the ends quite thin ; I next mea- 

 sure off the exact length of the bud, on 



the base of the vine intended to be | tion of grafts similar to their cuttings, 

 budded, and make a nick slanting up- and the result of the following experi- 

 ward at the upper part, and another ment leads me to believe my conjecture 

 slanting downward at the bottom. I to be well founded. I selected three 

 then take the piece neatly out, so that cuttings of the Black Hamburgh Grape, 

 the bud may fit nicely in ; and by mak- each having at its base one joint of two 

 ing the nick as stated above, each end years old of wood : these were inserted 

 of the bud is covered by the bark of the ; in, or rather fitted to branches of nearly 

 shoot. I bind the buds firmly round i the same size, but of greater age ; and 

 with matting, and clay it, taking care, all succeeded most perfectly. The clay 

 however, that the clay does not cover which surrounded the base of the grafts 

 the eye of the bud : I then tie it round was kept constantly moist, and the 

 with moss, and keep it constantly moisture thus supplied to the graft ope- 

 damp ; and as the sap rises in the vine, j rated very beneficially, at least, if it 



I was not essential to the success of the 

 operation. A very skilful gardener in my 

 vicinity, to whom I mentioned my inten- 

 tion of trying the foregoing experiment, 

 I was completely successful by a some- 

 what different method. He used grafts 

 similar to mine, but his vine grew under 

 : the roof of the hot-house, in which sit- 

 uation he found it difficult to attach 

 such a quantity of clay as would supply 

 the requisite degree of moisture to the 

 graft ; and he therefore supported a pot 

 under each graft, upon which he raised 

 the mould in heaps sufficiently high to 

 cover the grafts and supply them with 

 moisture. The grafts which I used 



the bud begins to swell. 



" When the vine commences to push 

 out young shoots, take the top ones off, 

 in order to throw a little more sap into 

 the bud, and as you perceive it getting 

 stronger, take off more young shoots, 

 ' and so continue until you have taken 

 off all the young shoots. Budding can 

 only be performed where the long-rod 

 system is practised, as in that case you 

 have the power of confining the sap to 

 the bud, which will grow vigorously. 

 As soon as you perceive this, cut the 

 vine down to the bud. Budding has the 

 advantage over grafting, by not leaving 

 an unsightly appearance where the bud 



was inserted. I always allow the mat- j consisted of about two inches old wood, 



ting to remain on until about the month 

 of September." 



Grafting. — "The best method," says 

 Dr. Lindley, " of grafting vines is to 

 shorten the branch, or shoot, at the 

 winter pruning to the most eligible place 

 for inserting the graft. The graft should 

 be kept in sufficiently moist soil till the 

 time of performing the operation, and 

 for a week previous in the same tem- 

 perature as that which the vines to be 

 operated upon are growing. 



and five of annual wood, by which 

 means the junction of the new and old 

 wood, at which point cuttings most rea- 

 dily emit shoots and receive nutriment, 

 was placed close to the head of the 

 stock, and a single bud only was ex- 

 posed to vegetate." — Knight's Papers. 

 As the practice is rather precarious, 

 I will add further, the observations of 

 Mr. Braddick : — " I feel confident in 

 stating that healthy vines may be suc- 

 cessfully grafted with young wood of 



