G R A 



G R A 



to get the better of it, at least for some years; 

 that they be not taken from young luxuriant trees, 

 whose vessels are generally large, continuing to 

 produce luxuriant shoots, and seldom prove 

 fruitful ; and that they be taken from the lateral 

 or horizontal shoots rather than the perpendi- 

 cular ones. They should be cut oft" from the 

 trees before their buds begin to swell, which is 

 mostly three weeks or a month before the season 

 for grafting; consequently, when they are cut 

 off they should be laid in the ground with the 

 cut part downwards, burying them half their 

 length, and covering their tops with dry litter, 

 to prevent their drying; if a small joint of the 

 former year's wood be cut oft" with the scion, it 

 will preserve it the better, and when thev are 

 grafted this may be cut oft"; for at the same time 

 the scions must be cut to a proper length before 

 they are inserted in the stocks ; but, till then, 

 the shoots should remain of their full length, as 

 they were taken from the tree, which will better 

 preserve them from shrinking ; when the scions 

 are to be carried to a considerable distance, it 

 will be proper to put their ends into a lump of 

 clay, and to wrap them up in moss, which will 

 preserve them fresh for a month or longer ; but 

 these should be cut off from the trees earlier 

 than those which are to be grafted near the place 

 where the trees are growing. It is, however, 

 always the best practice to cut the grafts as near 

 the time of their being inserted into the stocks 

 as possible. 



Slocks proper for grafting upon. — The stocks 

 are the trees or plants for grafting upon ; 

 which are either such old trees as are already 

 growing where they are to remain, but the fruit 

 of which is intended to be changed ; or such 

 young trees as have been raised in the nursery as 

 a supply to the garden. In the former case, 

 there is no other choice than that of the 

 branches, which should be such as are young, 

 healthy, well situated, and have a smooth bark. 

 Where these trees are growing against walls or 

 espaliers, it will be proper to graft six, eight, or 

 ten branches, according to the size of the trees, 

 by which they will be much sooner furnished 

 with branches again, than when a less number 

 of shoots or scions are put in , but in standard 

 trees, four, or at most six, scions will be suffi- 

 cient for the purpose. 



In choosingyoung stocks for grafting upon, such 

 as have been raised from the seed, and that have 

 been once or twice transplanted, should always 

 be fixed upon. 



After these, those stocks which have been 

 raised from cuttings or layers should constantly 

 be preferred ; but those which are suckers from 

 the roots of other trees should be rejected, as 



they are never so well rooted as the others, and 

 constantly put out a great number of suckers 

 from the roots, by which the borders and walks 

 of the garden will be always pestered during the 

 summer season. These, besides being unsight- 

 ly, take off part of the nourishment from the 

 other trees and plants. 



And where these stocks have been allowed a 

 proper distance in the nursery where they have 

 grown, the wood will be belter ripened and more 

 compact than those which have grown close, 

 and have been there drawn up to a greater 

 height. The wood of these will be soft, and 

 their vessels large ; so that the scions grafted in- 

 to them will shoot very strong; but they will be 

 less disposed to produce fruit than the others ; 

 and when trees acquire a bad habit at first it is 

 difficult to reclaim them afterwards. The stocks 

 most adapted to each sort will be explained un- 

 der their particular genera, and in considering 

 the nature of stocks. See Stocks. 



Implements proper for the work, — These are 

 principally ; a neat small hand-saiv, for cutting 

 off the heads of large stocks ; a good strong 

 knife, with a thick back, to make clefts in the 

 stocks ; with a sharp penknife, or budding-knife, 

 to cut the grafts with ; and a grafting chisel and 

 small mallet. Other sorts of instruments are 

 sometimes necessary in. performing particular 

 sorts of grafting. 



Besides these tools, other sorts of materials 

 are wanted in performine: the business, such as 

 lass-strings, or woollen-yarn, to tie the grafts 

 with ; and a quantity of good tough clay, which 

 should be prepared a month before it is wanted, 

 and kept turned and mixed, like mortar, every, 

 other day, in the following manner : 



A quantity of strong good clay, in proportion, 

 to the quantity of trees intended to be grafted, 

 should be provided, and some new well-fed 

 horse-dung broken in among it ; and if a little 

 cut straw or hay be mixed amongst it, it will 

 hold together the better. The addition of a 

 quantity of salt will also prevent the clay from 

 dividing in dry weather. These should be 

 well stirred together, putting water to them oc- 

 casionally, in the manner of making mortar. 

 The whole should be hollowed like a dish, filled 

 with water, and kept every other day stirred. It 

 should be carefully kept from being exposed to 

 frost or drying winds; and the oftener it is 

 wrought over the better. 



Some have lately made use of another sort of 

 composition for grafting, which has been found 

 to answer the intention of keeping out the air 

 better than the clayey mixture, if is composed 

 of turpentine, bees-wax, and rosin, melted to- 

 gether ; which, when of a proper consistence, 



