346 QUARTERLY JOURNAL. 



[From the (New- York) American Agriculturist]. 



ROOT-GRAFTING. 



After reading this article, every farmer can easily provide himself 

 with an orchard of the choicest fruit, and without other cost than a 

 little of his own labor ; for he has only to procure a few apple seeds 

 and sow them, and then do his grafting in the winter evenings, 

 when there is scarce anything else to occupy his attention. 



Root-grafting is now more generally practised than tree-grafting, 

 for the following reasons. 1. It is stronger than budding, and the 

 scions have as straight and handsome a growth of trunk as seedlings. 

 2. A tree may be brought to bear from one to two years sooner by 

 this method. 3. It can be done in the winter as well as the spring, 

 a season when the nurserymen are least employed. 4. Three times 

 the number of trees can be thus obtained from the same stock. 



Pi'epm'ing the seed. Take apple-pommace at the cider-mill, and 

 transport it to any place near where it is desired to plant the seeds, 

 and spread it on the ground ; then turn it over with a rake or pitch- 

 fork, and gather the principal part of the straw from it, leaving the 

 pommace in beds not more than one and a half to two feet thick. 

 If left thicker, or much straw remains in it, the pommace heaps are 

 liable to ferment and destroy the vitality of the seeds. Leave it in 

 this state all winter, without covering. If the seed is to be obtained 

 from any great distance, it must be washed clean, thoroughly dried, 

 and then packed in a box for transportation. 



Planting. The soil should be of reasonable fertility, and free 

 from springs or standing water ; indeed, it is better to have it too 

 dry than too wet. As soon as the frost is out of the ground, plow, 

 harrow, and prepare the land where the apple seeds are to be planted, 

 the same as for a good crop of corn. Now stretch a garden cord any 

 length required ; lake a hoe in hand ; as you walk forward, let it 

 be drawn behind you, straight with the line, and about one inch 

 deep in the ground. This makes a drill six inches wide, and deep 

 enough for planting the seeds. Into this scatter the pommace an 

 inch thick, and then cover it over with the hoe about an inch deep. 

 The drills should be from three to four feet apart, according as one 

 has more or less ground to spare. The latter distance is best, be- 

 cause it gives more room between the rows ta work the plow or 

 cultivator, to stir the earth and keep the weeds down. If the trees 

 come up thicker in the rows than wheat or rye usually does after 

 sowing, they should be thinned out by pulling up whatever is neces- 

 sary, and thrown away, as they will hardly repay the trouble of 

 transplanting. 



After culture. This may be the same as with a crop of corn. It 

 is very important to stir the earth, and keep it loose, for the better 

 spreading of the apple tree roots ; also to check the weeds, other- 

 wise they will choke the growth of the trees, and frequently over- 

 shadow and kill them. 



