202 On the grafting of Evergreen Trees. 



The application of this mode of propagation to the pine and fir 

 tribe was first made by the Baron Tschondy, probably about the 

 end of the last century, and practised by him on his estate at Co- 

 lombey, near Metz, and in the botanic garden of that city. It is 

 described at length in the Traite Pratique of Delamerre, the es- 

 sence of which is as follows: 



"The operation of herbaceous grafting is performed in the cleft 

 manner: the slit being made a little deeper than that part of the 

 scion to be inserted in it. The time of performing the operation 

 is, when the leading shoot of the stock has attained the length of 

 from eight to twelve inches, and will break over (without tearing 

 the bark) like a piece of glass, or the most succulent part of a 

 shoot of asparagus fit to gather for the table. The time during 

 which any given species has its leading shoot in a fit state for be- 

 ing broken over in this manner, is not more than fifteen days; and 

 as the scions from the species to be grafted are equally tender 

 with the stock, they will not remain longer in a fit state for the 

 operation than about the same period. The graft is always in- 

 serted in the leading shoot; the greater number of the side shoots 

 are either removed altogether or shortened; and the young shoots 

 produced from the stocks, during the season, are pinched off with 

 the finger and thumb at about half their length. In performing 

 the operation, the first step is to break over the leading shoot 

 with the hand so as to reduce it to the length of from four to six 

 inches; the leaves are next removed from this remaining portion, 

 with the exception of about an inch at the top, on which they are 

 left for the purpose of drawing up the sap. The scions should 

 have been procured the same day, or the evening before, from 

 the extremity of the branches, of the kinds to be grafted; ^nd 

 they should be preserved in a vessel of water, and covered with 

 grass or leaves to exclude the sun. The scions need not be 

 above two inches in length, the lower half of which should be de- 

 prived of its leaves and cut in the form of a thin wedge, the 

 operator using a very sharp knife. The scion should be rather 

 narrower than the stock, in order that it may be more completely 

 tied into it, which is done by a ligature of matting or woollen 

 twist. After this is done, the graft is covered with a cornet of 

 paper, slightly tied to the stock so as to exclude the sun, but yet 

 admit the air. From ten to fifeen days after grafting, the cornet 

 may be taken away; about fifteen days later, the ligature may be 

 removed; and in six weeks or two months afterwards, the upper 

 part of th6 stock left with the leaves on may be trimmed olf on 

 both sides of the scion, and all the shoots which have been pro- 

 duced on the lower part of the stock removed, so as to throw the 

 whole of the sap into the scion. A good workman will, it is 

 said, graft two hundred or two hundred and fifty subjects in a day, 



