Cutting Grafts, and Grafting. 361 



CUTTING GRAFTS, AND GRAFTING. 



By L. Durand. 



The subject of improving and growing fruit is one which should 

 claim our special attention every season, as the time comes around : 

 and as the Apple stands at the head of all fruits, with the farmer, 

 we will give our attention to this point now. It may be, and 

 often is, necessary to repeat, in the course of a series of years, 

 the same general plans in principle in regard to orchard and fruit 

 growing generally, of which we may do in this instance. But 

 our idea is, in this article, to confine our §.ttention to preparing 

 grafts and grafting, though we may allude, in connection, to or- 

 chard culture. 



Apple grafts may be cut anytime after the leaf falls in autumn 

 until before the buds start in the spring, and these may be kept a 

 year or more, though this is not often necessary. But in this cli- 

 mate, any time from the 20th of February until the 1st of April, 

 or before the buds swell, will answer to cut Apple grafts. The 

 grafts should be cut from the outside of the tree, thrifty shoots of 

 the previous or present season's growth, from six to twelve inches 

 in length, as may be. Of course the several varieties should be 

 tied up in separate packages and also labeled. This may be done 

 by shaving down a large scion in each bundle, an inch or two in 

 length, and then marking in notches or in numerals, as Baldwnis, 

 No. I, Greenings, No. II, Spys, No. Ill, Spitzenbergs, No. IV, 

 &c., at the same time entering the names and numbers down in a 

 " fruit book," for future reference at grafting time. This plan fol- 

 lowed out will prevent all mistakes in mixing up grafts, so that 

 each kind may be found when wanted. After the scions are all 

 gathered and labeled, they should be packed away in the cellar 

 in a lot, in rugs, or they may be packed in a woollen cloth kept 

 moistened in a lot, in a cool part of the cellar. Moisture will not 

 hurt scions, but the object is to keep the scions in their natural 

 state, as when cut from the tree. If the scions are kept three or 

 four months, and quite moist, as the warm weather increases the 

 buds will push out sometimes half an inch in length or more. In 

 this case, the buds should be lopped off close when the scions are 

 set in the stock. Sometimes such scions do well, but they often 



