SECT. VII. OF GRAFTING. 89 



inch above, and half an inch below, smoothing it off 

 taper, with a trowel, or knife, dipped in water. And 

 as this is done with a view to keep out wet, sun, and 

 air, if the clay falls off, or cracks, it must be imme- 

 diately repaired, till the season comes to take off 

 the bandage, which is about Midsummer, or rather 

 sooner : yet at this time some clay should be still 

 kept on the top, to secure the cleft from wet, and so 

 continued till the cleft is grown up. 



If it is desired to put in two cions, to form a tree 

 for the wall, or espalier, there should be two clefts 

 parallel to one another, one on each side the pith. 

 Some put in two cions, merely in case one should 

 miss ; but it is not adviseable. It need hardly be 

 observed, that in this case the crown must be left 

 whole. 



With respect to the time of performing this work, 

 remember that what has been said relates to pears, 

 plums, and cherries ; for apples cannot be grafted till 

 the beginning of March, or later, as the season is, 

 even to April, for the sap must be on the move. 



WHIP-GRAFFING has the advantage of cleft- 

 graffing in neatness, and not requiring the stocks to 

 be so old by a year or two, as very small ones will do 

 in this way ; for the stock is directly covered by the 

 cion, and it takes with certainty if property per- 

 formed. Cions large and suitable to proper stocks 

 cannot however always be had. Stock and cion are 

 to be both of a size, or rather nearly so, is better, the 

 stock having the advantage in bigness ; for thus it is 

 not so likely to be overgrown, as it happens when the 

 cion is of a more free nature. When the stock is 

 overgrown by the cion, it will give it some opportu- 

 nity to thicken, by slitting the bark through down- 

 wards, in two or three places. This circumstance is 

 not, however, material in dwarf trees. 



