PROPAGATION. 237 



branches whicli have chafed each other till the hark has been 

 rubbed off, actually united in a firm graft. When both the 

 stock and the graft are just in good order, that is, almost ready 

 to bui'st their buds, there is very little trouble and uncertainty 

 in the operation ; but a wrong stock, a perished graft, a bad 

 fit, a slow workman, or the omission of any one of the neces- 

 sary conditions, destroys the chance of success, and must end 

 in disappointment. It is well worth while to see a man at 

 work at grafting, if it be only to get a practical lesson, for 

 seeing the operation well performed once will be of great 

 service, although if our directions are attended to, there will 

 be little difficulty. 



The grafting of roses is not so certain an operation as many 

 other subjects, because there is a soft pith in the middle of the 

 wood, and the brier partakes of the evil. The French people, 

 however, do perform the operation occasionally under parti- 

 cular circumstances. Established briers, which have been 

 budded the season before, and the buds of which have failed, 

 tempt us to try the experiment ; and the wood to be pruned 

 off choice varieties, offers us the opportunity. The best chance 

 of success will be under the following plan of operation : — 

 First, cut do"svn the brier to the top live shoot, in a sloping 

 direction, the bud, or branch of the brier being at the top of 

 the slope, l^ext, as there is pith in the centre, split down the 

 lowest side of the stock an inch or two, and, with a very sharp 

 knife, slice out a small piece in an angular direction, leaving 

 an angular vacancy. Cut the wood of the graft, which should 

 be strong and well-ripened, to fit on the place cut in the 

 stock, so as to bring the bark of the graft and the bark of the 

 stock together. Biud this well in, and cover with grafting 

 wax, to keep away the air and the weather. In cutting the 

 graft, let there be one eye below the top of the brier, and one 

 or two above it. At the season of growth, the top eye or 

 branch of the stock will grow, and draw the sap past the 

 graft, because it is in the highest side of the sloping cut, and 

 the graft wlQ, probably, shoot at aU the eyes, though we have 

 more than once had the graft taken and the top killed, while 

 the obj ect had been accomphshed by the eye below the top of 

 the stock being saved. We have mentioned the advantage of 

 sharp knives in grafting ; but in rose-grafting it is so abso- 

 lutely necessary, that nearly all the failures may be attributed 

 to the bruising of the wood, which with even a moderate 



