68 PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING AND BUDDING. 



suckers, and produced finer flowers than they would have done 

 on their native shoots. I allude to this practice here, and cite 

 Mr Knight's paper, because so late as 1875 some French horti- 

 culturists have recommended the operation as a modern one. 



In the outdoor grafting of fruit-trees and ornamental shrubs, 

 some sort of covering must be employed to keep the tissues 

 from becoming dried by the sun and winds. Thick cotton or 

 woollen thread may be used for tying delicate plants ; but for 

 fruit-trees bast of Lime-bark is generally employed, and this, in 

 the case of large or common trees, is generally covered with a 

 thick layer of clay, well beaten together with about one-third 

 of fresh cow-dung, and in old times this was frequently covered 

 with a layer of damp moss. Clay luting is now, however, but 

 seldom used, some sort of grafting wax or mastic being 

 employed instead, and used either hot or cold, according to 

 the nature of the composition. MM. Leroy of Angers, and 

 Baltet, Troyes, employ a warm mastic made as follows : First 

 melt together resin, 2 Ib. 12 oz. ; Burgundy pitch, i Ib. 1 1 oz. ; 

 and at the same time melt separately 9 oz. of suet, and when 

 this is thoroughly melted pour it into the resin and pitch, 

 stirring the whole well together ; at the same time add 

 gradually 18 oz. of red ochre, keeping the whole well stirred, 

 so that the ingredients may become intimately mixed. It 

 should be of the consistence of glue, and may be warmed when 

 wanted for use with a spirit-lamp or gas jet. An old paint- 

 brush serves to apply the mixture, which excludes air or rain, 

 and assists the tying material in holding the scion firmly in its 

 place. Cold grafting wax or mastic made as follows is recom- 

 mended by M. Rodemaekers of Maeseyck : Rosin, 12 oz. ; 

 hog's-lard, 2 oz. ; alcohol of 30, 2^ oz. Melt the rosin and 

 hog's-lard together over a gentle fire. Take the vessel off the 

 fire and add the alcohol as speedily as possible, and in small 

 portions at a time, taking care to keep the mixture well stirred 

 all the while. Then pour it into a tin box, which should be 

 kept well closed until required for use. Those who do not 

 care to make their own mastic can obtain no better than that 

 manufactured by M. I'Homme-Lefort fils at Belleville. This 

 is sold ready for use in tin cases, and answers every purpose 

 admirably. Mastics are principally used in the outdoor 

 grafting of fruit-trees, but are also useful in the heated 

 propagating house. It is necessary to tie all outdoor grafts 

 firmly to a stake, or to the stock when practicable, otherwise 

 they are extremely liable to be wrenched out by high winds, 

 and thus a season is lost unless the damage is at once made 

 good by budding. 



