308 FLORIDA FRUITS ODDS AND ENDS. 



pretty close to the stem, will serve the same purpose, a 

 very important one, for trees that are to be moved. 



And now as to the grafting process. First, take notice 

 that the buds of the Japan persimmon begin to swell in 

 February, a week or two sooner than those of the native, 

 and therefore the scions must be cut that much earlier, at 

 the first sign given by the moving sap, and laid away in a 

 cool place, covered with moss or earth, to await the move- 

 ments of the native stock. 



The best method of grafting this fruit is the "whip" 

 graft, as it is the most convenient. (For details of process 

 see page 47.) The earth should be removed from the 

 crown of the stock deep enough to allow the point of 

 union to be entirely covered when it is replaced. The 

 scion should be about three inches long, and only one bud 

 left above the ground ; after it is in place wrap strips of 

 waxed cloth tightly around the union of stock and scion, 

 overlapping the folds so as to insure it against the entrance 

 of water. 



There is another method of propagating the Japan per- 

 simmon, much easier and more simple, though the trees 

 thus obtained are rather longer in bearing fruit than those 

 grafted. This is by cuttings, taken as other cuttings 

 should be, when the tree is in a dormant state, although 

 they can, by extra care, be made to strike root at any 

 time ; the cuttings root readily, and it is a curious thing 

 that this simple fact is not generally known. 



GRAFTING THE GRAPE. 



The grape is one of the easiest plants to graft, and the 

 best time to insert the graft is in the latter part of the 

 winter season, when both stock and scion are dormant. By 

 the following simple process, the common wild Florida 

 grape vine may be employed as stock for any of the finer 



