182 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



April 



For the New England Farmer. 

 PRESERVING APPLES. 



in diameter, making the length of tlie scarf ab(flit 

 4 times the diameter of the stock ; cut off the point 



m, .- , . n I 1 -.u 1 J .or top of the stock down to about the thickness of 



lake a tisht flour barrel ■\vith one head, cover Lj,g - ... -. - 



the bottom with dean, dry saw-dust, then a layer 

 of apples, blow end down, not allowing them to 

 touch each other or come in contact with the bar 

 rel, leaving a space on the outside of about one 

 inch ; cover one inch with saw-dust, then a layer 

 of apples, &c., until the barrel is full, leaving about 

 three inches saw-dust on the top. Put the bar- 

 rels into a room without fire, or into a tight out- 

 building, they will not freeze or rot ; the places in 

 the aj^ples bruised by falling from trees, or other- 

 wise, instead of decaying, will become like dried 

 apples, and the bahmce remain sound. 



Your ob't servant, Geo. B. Green. 

 Windsor, Vt., 1853. 



GRAFTING. 



The season is near at hand for performing this 

 operation. Scions should be cut immediately and 

 kept in a cool moist place. There are various 

 modes of grafting, but a few of the best are suffi- 

 cient for all purposes. We copy from Cole's Fruit 

 Book, and believe the directions are suflBciently 

 clear and precise for the direction of any who may 

 have the work to do. 



Cleft Grafting is the most common. It is 

 practised on large stocks and those rather small. 

 In large stocks, an inch or moi-e in diameter, two 

 scions are set ; this aids in healing over the stock, 

 and keeping it sound and healthy ; and when the 

 scions interfere the second or third year, one is 

 usually cut out. Sometimes both remain. 



Saw off the stock with a fine saw, and pare 

 smoothly with a sharp knife ; then split the stock 

 with the grafting-knife, and open it with the 

 wedge on the same. Or a common knife and a 

 wooden wedge may be used. Sharpen the scion 

 on both sides, with a straight scarf like a wedge ; 

 let the scarf be about 1^ inches long, more or less, 

 according to the size of the scion and the splitting 

 of the stock, making the scarf of the sci- 

 on as long as it can be conveniently fitted 

 to the stock. Large scions should liave 

 shoulders at the top of the scarf, else the 

 stock would be split too wide. It is best 

 for the stuck to cover, or almost cover, 

 the scarfs on tlie scion. The outer part 

 of the scion should be slightly thicker, 

 to make a close fit there. Leave two 

 buds on the scion, setting the lower bud 

 just below the top of the stock. Adjust 

 the scion so that the joint between 'the (^''"f^'^s- 

 bark and wood, in the stock and scion, will exact- 

 ly correspond ; this is important, as that is the 

 place of union between them. This done, with- 

 draw the wedge, and apply the cement or clay. 

 In cutting scions, reject the but, as the buds start 

 reluctantly or not at all, and reject the top also, 

 as it is too Soft, or may be winter-killed. 



Scarfing tue Stock. — When only one scion is 

 set in a stock of moderate or small size, if the 

 stock be scarfed off on the side opposite the scion, 

 (as at a, in the figure,) it will heal over the soon- 

 er. We have grafted as follows with excellent 

 success. With a drawing stroke of the knife, cut 

 off stocks or small limbs, say from J to | an inch 



Cleft 



scion ; (as at b;) then split the stock, shape 

 the scion, and with a wide knife at the end, or 

 blue point, pry open the stock on the scarfed side, 

 and adjust the scion, which should be 

 thicker on the outside. We have graft- 

 ed in this way ; and in tlie fall, stocks 

 I of an inch in diameter have been cora^ 

 pletely healed over, and so neatly in 

 some cases, that we could not determine 

 by tlieir appearance whether they had 

 been grafted. We prefer this mode ; it 

 is neat, expeditious, and successful. We 

 have put good new tops on small stand- 

 ard trees, in one season, by grafting the 

 limbs in this way, so that the change 

 was hardly perceptible. 



_ Splice OR Whip Grafting. This mode 



TAes^ocI' is adapted to small stocks, and it suc- 

 Hcarfed. ceeds best when the scion and stock are 

 precisely of the same diameter. When one is lar- 

 ger, they should be matched precisely on one side. 

 The stock and scion are scarfed off, about \^ inch- 

 es in length, and by cutting downward in the 

 stock and upward in the scion, a tongue 

 is raised on each, {a, a,) which is fitted 

 into the cut of the other. This is a very 

 perfect and sure method, and stone fruit 

 will sometimes take better in this way 

 than in any other. Bind it very neatly 

 with matting, and then apply composi- 

 tion ; or better still, wind round compo- a\ 

 sition cloth without matting. The cloth 

 will yield in warm weather, as the tree 

 grows, and is better than matting, as 

 that will girdle the tree, if not loosened. 

 Side Grafting. — IMake a T in the bark, 

 as in budding; then cut out a small piece 

 of bark crosswise just above the cut, that 

 it may allow the scion to fit closely to the ^"'f^''^s- 

 wood below. Scarf off the scion, as in splice oraft- 

 ing, commencing the scarf at a slight crook, if 

 such there be in the scion, that it may stand off. 

 Sharpen the point of the scion on the side oppo- 

 site the scarf, cutting a little each side of the round 

 part, that it may slide down well, then raise the 

 bark as in budding, and press down the scion; if 

 the upper part hugs closely to the stock above the 

 cross-cut, press it to the stock where 

 it is set in the bark, and bend tlie 

 upper part off. Bind it closely to 

 the stock, and apply composition. 

 When the bark does not peal, the 

 stock may be scarfed off a little, and 

 the scion, foi'med as usual, festened 

 on. In this way, side limbs may be 

 formed when there is a deficiency, 

 and grafting done without cutting 

 off the tree or stock. 



Crown Grafting is the same as 

 side grafting, only instead of across- 

 cut in the bark, the stock is cut off. 

 It is adapted to stocks that are too large for cleft 

 grafting. Or, after cleft grafting large stocks, 

 scions are set in this way between the other sci- 

 ons, to keep the stock alive and promote healing, 

 and they may be cut off for scions, and the others 

 will cover the stock. 



Saddle Grafting is but little practised. The 



Splice 



Side Grafting. 



