THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



March referred to in the last paragraph under " Flowers " as 

 10-31 soon as the blossoms have fallen, because it keeps down 

 aphides, which are very destructive to Peaches. Guard 

 against the admission of cold draughts, which would 

 predispose the trees to an attack of blister (see pre- 

 vious remarks). Disbud the shoots after the fruit has 

 set in accordance with instructions in previous chapters. 

 Protect outdoor Peaches from frost. 



Note the hints in the earlier chapters with respect to 

 managing Grape Vines and forcing Strawberries. 



Grafting 



The process of grafting is an interesting and useful 

 one. By means of it we can turn an unsatisfactory 

 variety into a satisfactory one. I do not contend that 

 grafting will remove every difficulty in fruit growing. 

 It will not remedy the ill effects of bad pruning, for 

 example (see full remarks on pruning in a previous 

 chapter). It is not the proper treatment for trees which 

 are barren because they are growing too strongly at the 

 roots ; it is root-pruning which is needed here. But it 

 will often turn an unhealthy tree into a healthy one. 

 Ill-health in a fruit tree is frequently due to the fact that 

 the variety is too delicate for the soil. Graft with a more 

 robust variety, and the tree speedily improves. Where 

 fruit trees are cankered, or generally weak, first study the 

 soil. It may need draining or manuring. If neither is 

 the cause, hesitate no longer, but put a new variety on to 

 the tree by grafting. 



Apples, Pears, Plums, and Cherries may all be grafted, 



but it will be found, probably, that the two last kinds do 



not often need changing. Apples, as the most largely 



grown of the quartette, and the most likely to suffer from 



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