258 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



" Many years ago Mr. Cooper renewed all 

 the seed of his winter grain from a single 

 plant ; which he had observed to be oiore pro- 

 ductive, and of a beUer quality than the rest; 

 which he is satisfied has been of great use. — 

 And he is of opinion, that all kinds of garden 

 vegetables may be improved by the methods de- 

 scribeil above, particular care being taken 

 that diflferent kinds of the same vegetables do 

 not bloom at the same time near together ; — 

 since by this means they injure one an- 

 other." 



" 2. As the varieties of plants are believed 

 to be produced by diiferent soils and climates, 

 which varieties will afterward continue through 

 many generations, even when the plants are 

 removed to other soils and climates, it must be 

 advantageous for the agricultor to inspect other 

 crops as well as bis own; and thus, wherever 

 he can find a superior vegetation, to collect 

 seeds from it, which is more certain to improve 

 his crops, than an indiscriminate change of seed. 



" But where seed corn is purchased without a 

 previous observation of its superior excellence, 

 perhaps it would be more advantageous to take 

 that from better kinds of soil, and from some- 

 what better climates ; as the good habits acquir- 

 ed by such seeds may be continued long after 

 their removal to inferior situations. And on 

 the contrary, care should be taken not to collect 

 a change of seeds from worse climates or inferi- 

 or soils, unless the agricultor is previously cer- 

 tain that they are of a superior kind." 

 (To be conlinued.) 



ON GRAFTING FRUIT TREES, kc. 



In our last paper, page 250, we published 

 some remarks on this subject from Dr. Thach- 

 er's Orchardixt ; and the following observations 

 may be considered as connected with, and form a 

 continuation of that article. 



"The proper tools and other materials for 

 grafting, are; 1. A strong knife for cutting off 

 the heads of large stocks, previous to the inser- 

 tion of the graft ; also a small hand saw, for occa- 

 sional use, in cutting off the heads of large 

 stocks ; 2. A common grafting-knife, or strong 

 sharp penknife, for cutting and shaping the grafts 

 ready for insertion ; also to slope and form the 

 stocks ready for the reception of the scions ; 3. 

 A flat grafting chisel, and small mallet, for cleft- 

 ing large stocks in cleft-grafting; 4. A quantity 

 of new bass strings, for bandages for securing 

 the grafts, and promoting their speedy union 

 with the stocks ; and 5. a quantity of clay, for 

 applying closely round the grafts after their in- 

 sertion and binding, to defend the parts from the 

 influence of the sun, winds and wet weather, or 

 from being affected by cold. For this purpose, 

 a kind of stifi loamy mortar may be prepared of 

 strong fat loam, or any other tough clay may be 

 .substituted ; to which may be added a fourth 

 part of fresh horse dung, free from litter, and a 

 small portion of cut hay, with a little water, well 

 mixed : the whole should be properly beaten 

 with a stick, and thus incorporated. 



" This operation should be repeated, accord- 

 ing to the nature of the clay, and performed se- 

 veral times during the first day ; the composition 

 being still moistened with water tor six or seven 

 days successively, at the end of which time it 

 will be fit for use.* This composition should be 



* Domestic Encyclopedia. 



applied closely round the parts in form of a col- 

 lar or ball, tapering at both ends, the upper end 

 being applied to the graft and the under to the 

 stock. A good substitute for the above is a com- 

 position of turpentine, bees wax and rosin melt- 

 ed, together ; if it prove too hard, it may be 

 softened with a little hog's lard or tallow. This 

 may be applied with a brush while warm but 

 not too hot.* A writer for the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural Repository, vol. v. page 126, says 

 " the compost best suited to cover the wounds 

 of all trees is a composition of tar, bees wax, and 

 red ochre, boiled or simmered for half an hour 

 or twenty minutes together. The proportions 

 which I have used are a pint of tar into which I 

 put a piece of bees wax as big as an English wal- 

 nut ; when these are incorporated, 1 scatter a 

 small quantity of pulverized red ochre say half 

 a gill, and stir them well together, while boil- 

 ing hot or simmering. When this compost is 

 cool it should be stiff enough to resist the heat 

 of the sun sufficiently to prevent its running, yet 

 soft enough to be applied to the wound with a 

 small, flat smooth stick ; it will last two years 

 at least, without requiring to be renewed ; it 

 yields to the sap as it issues from under the 

 band round the wound to cover it, while it con- 

 tinues to protect both the wood and the edge of 

 the bark from water, and of course from decay." 



Mr. Abner Landrum of South Carolina, says 

 that turpentine, when mixed in the proportion 

 recommended, is injurious as a composition to 

 be used in grafting. He observes " whatever 

 may be the innocence of a wax containing one 

 third turpentine in a northern climate, I was so 

 well convinced from my trials of its deleterious 

 effects in Carolina as to reject it entirely. Af- 

 ter many experiments to ascertain the best com- 

 position for a grafting wax, I prefer the follow- 

 ing: — One measure of olive oil, or hog's lard 3 

 do. of melted bees wax ; mix well while hot to 

 be worked after it is cool, till suflBcienlly pli- 

 ant."! 



The following modes of grafting are the most 

 common, and successful. 



" 1. Whip-grafting, or tongue-grafting is ge- 

 nerally performed in nurseries, upon small stocks 

 from a quarter of an inch to half, or a whole inch 

 in diameter. The stock, and scions or grafts 

 should always be near to the same size as pos- 

 sible. They are both to be sloped off a full inch 

 or more, and then tied closely together. This 

 method may be much improved by performing 

 what gardeners call tongueing or tipping ; that is 

 by making an incision in the bare part of the 

 stock, downwards, and a similar slit in the scion 

 upwards; after which they are to be carefully 

 joined together, so that the rinds of both may 

 meet in every part, when a ligament or bandage 

 of bass is to be tied round the scion to prevent 

 it from being displaced ; and the whole to be 

 covered over with the composition. 



Cleft-grafting or slit-grafting as gardeners dif- 

 ferently term it, is performed upon stocks from 

 one to two inches in diameter. The head of the 

 stock being carefully cut off, in a sloping direc- 

 tion, a perpendicular cleft or slit is to be made, 

 about two inches deep with a knife or chisel, to- 

 wards the back of the slope, into which a wedge 

 is to be driven, in order to keep it open for the 

 admission of the scion : the latter must now be 



i«k) 



lan 



mil 



* Thacher's Orchardist. 



t See New England Farmer, vol. i. page 145. 



cut in a perpendicular direction, and in the fc 

 of a wedge, so as to fit the incision in the sto 

 As soon as it is prepared it should be placed ijl 

 the cleft in such a manner that the inner barl njii 

 both llie stock and the scions may meet exac 

 together. It is then to be tied with a ligaturf 

 bass, and clayed over, as is practised in wl 

 grafting, three or four eyes being left in the; 

 on uncovered." Care should be taken in m 

 ing the cleft in the stock, not to injure the p 

 the scions being inserted in the sap wood of 

 stock. " Cleft-grafting says the Farmer's As 

 tant, " may be successfully performed on tr 

 where the fibre of the outer bark runs roui 

 such as the peach, plum, cherry, &c. by f 

 cutting through that bark with a knife, at 

 place where the cleft is to be made, and in 

 same direction it is expected to run ; when 

 rest of tlie operation may be as easily perforn 

 as in other trees." 



Grafting in the rind, according to the sa 

 work, " is performed by cutting off the st( 

 square ; slitting down the bark a small distan 

 and raising it up, so that the end of the scion a 

 be inserted between it and the wood: The i 

 on is made with a shoulder, cut in about half 

 its thickness, and the other halfis sloped offg 

 dually, so as to give it the form of a wedge ; 1 

 cut side being flat and the bark side untouch 

 This wedge or tongue is inserted under the ba 

 with the shoulder fitted to the stock; then 

 ed bark is then pruned close, and bound rou 

 and the composition applied. It is usual in t 

 case to ;nsert three or four scions in the sa 

 stock." This sort of grafting is called by otl 

 writers crown grafting and is thus described 

 Dr. Thacher. " The head of the stock or th. 

 branch is cut off horizontally ; a perpendici) 

 slit is made in the bark as in budding ; a narr 

 ivory folder is thrust down between the wi 

 and bark, in the places where the grafts are 

 be inserted. The graft is cut at thedistanc* 

 an inch and an half from its extremity, circul 

 ly through the bark, not deeper than the bu 

 on one side, but fully half way through or bey( ; y 

 the pith on the other. The grafts being point 

 and ashoulder left to rest on the bark of the sfc 

 they are inserted into the openings, and eiti 

 three or four grafts are employed, accordingi j, 

 the size of the crown." 



" Side-grafting,'''' says the same author, " 

 sometimes employed for supplying vacancies 

 the lower parts of full-grown fruit trees. T 

 bark and a little of the wood are sloped off! 

 the space of an inch and an half, or two inchM „j, 

 a slit is then made downwards, and a graft is( 

 to fit the part, with a tongue for the slit; ^ „ 

 parts being properly joined, are tied close 

 clayed over. When stocks cannot readily 

 procured, root-grafting may be successfully e)i i^ 

 ployed. A piece of the root of a tree of 

 same genus, well furnished with fibres, is selw 

 ed, and a graft placed on it, tied and clayed 

 the ordinary way. Thus united, they are g( '^ 

 with care in a trench in the ground, the joini* 

 being covered, but the top of the gral't being If ,' 

 two inches above the ground. 



{To be continued.) 



ta 



CELLARS. 



In Germany, vaults are so constructed that 



canal, pr passage of communication, is opene 



from the cellar to the principal chimney of th 



house. A communication should be made b( 



