The Magtioliacece. 351 



freely, — about the loth of May in this vicinity. The wood of the stock may 

 be from one to three years old. Buds may be selected from scions cut in 

 February and carefully preserved, or may be taken directly from the tree. 

 If from the latter, employ those the least swollen ; and even those which 

 are small and semi-abortive are to be preferred to those which have burst. 

 Cut them with a long base, and dip slightly into the wood ; but never 

 attempt to remove the slice of wood taken off with the bud. 



When inserted, tie them in with narrow strips of waxed cloth ; and com- 

 plete the process by stopping every crevice about the bud with melted 

 grafting-wax, so as to exclude air and water. Neither woollen-yarn nor 

 bass-matting can be substituted for these cloth ligatures. 



Second, From the middle of June to the middle of July, a period is fur- 

 nished for summer-budding. At this time, well-matured buds of the present 

 season's growth are to be selected. The operation, in every particular, is 

 the same as in spring-budding. It is, however, more difficult to fix upon the 

 exact moment for doing it. The buds must be well ripened, while at 

 the same time the deposit of young sap-wood in the stock must not be too 

 mature. The present year's growth only is now used for the stocks. Buds 

 set in the spring are expected to make a free growth before autumn, while 

 those set later will remain dormant till the next spring. They form their 

 adhesion with the stock very slowly, and a premature removal of the liga- 

 tures will destroy them. Such removal should not be attempted till the 

 stocks are slightly strictured. 



By Ingrafting. — Inarchin'^r can sometimes be resorted to ; but I have 

 found other methods more convenient. 



Side-grafting, or double-tonguing the scion upon the side of the stock, 

 often succeeds. It is preferable to leave on the graft a shank five or six 

 inches long, projecting below the junction with the stock. By placing this 

 shank in a suspended bottle of water, the graft will be prevented from 

 dr^'ing till it forms a union with the stock. 



If the stock be small, the scion may be tongued on the side of the stock, 

 just above the crown of the roots ; and the shank may, in that case, be in- 

 serted in the earth. 



No mode of grafting these spongy-wooded magnolias will succeed that 

 requires amputation of the stock. The top is required to keep the sap in 

 circulation. 



