FRUIT-GARDENING. 25 



better success with scions that were put in when the trees were 

 about to blossom, than with the grafts that were set very early 

 or before the growing season had commenced. The most im 

 portant consideration is to have good grafts. More scions fail 

 on account of having been injured by being improperly kept 

 than from any other cause. 



When beginners prepare the stocks and dress off the ends 

 of the scions with a knife, the cut should be made with a 

 sharp instrument, very true and smooth, and not too sharp- 

 pointed nor too blunt, neither should the end of the scion be 

 too thin nor too thick. If too thin, when the cleft stock 

 closes on it, the scion will be crushed so that it cannot live. 

 If the scion be too thick, the sharpened end will not fit the 

 cleft sufficiently well for the sap to circulate from the stock 

 into the scion. Whatever be the form of the scion, or the 

 shape of the stock, the inside bark of each must be placed 

 together, so that the sap from the stock may pass readily into 

 the scion. 



GRAFTING-CLAY AND WAX. 



The British Parliament gave Mr. Forsyth a valuable premium 

 for the following important directions for making a composi 

 tion for curing diseases, defects, and injuries in all kinds of 

 fruit and forest trees, and the method of preparing the trees, 

 and laying on the composition : 



Take one bushel of fresh cow-dung, half a bushel of lime 

 rubbish of old buildings (that from the ceilings of rooms is 

 preferable), half a bushel of wood-ashes, and a sixteenth part 

 of a bushel of pit or river sand ; the three last articles are to 

 be sifted fine before they are mixed ; then work them well 

 together with a spade, and afterwards with a wooden beater, 

 until the stuff is very smooth, like fine plaster used for ceilings 

 of rooms. 



The composition being thus made, care must be taken to 

 prepare the tree properly for its application, by cutting away 



2 



