PROPAGATION OF PLANTS. 145 



of manure is spaded in around the mother plant and it is prmied 

 and trained for anotlier season's growth. Layering can be done 

 at any time but spring or early summer is the best time. By layer- 

 ing such plants as Viburnums, Cornuses, Hydrangeas, Loniceras, 

 and others, salable plants can be had in one season. 



Grafting. 



To go into the details 'of grafting would be more than one could 

 do in a short paper. All trees can be grafted, and it is by grafting 

 that many curious forms of trees are perpetuated, as well as most 

 of our fruits. ISIany old orchards can be regrafted with new species 

 or varieties, thus renewing what otherwise would be of no benefit. 

 By grafting weak varieties can be made stronger, by grafting on a 

 more vigorous stock; others can be dwarfed. New varieties can 

 be tested by top grafting on old trees, and seedling fruits be brought 

 to early bearing by the same process, thus saving years of time. 

 To grow an apple or pear from seed to fruit requires a great number 

 of years, but by top grafting on old trees only a few years. Thus 

 you can quickly find out your work of hybridizing and if the variety 

 is worth anything whole orchards of it might be in bearing condition 

 before the original plant was. It is not well to graft where a tree 

 can be produced equally as well and as cjuickly by other means. 

 As I said before, I do not think grafted plants live as long as those 

 on their own roots, although there are some cases where grafted 

 plants have done much better than seedlings and have been less 

 liable to disease. 



There are many kinds of grafting; I think Baltet gives nearly 

 fifty, but they are all a modification of one another and four or five 

 ways are all that are necessary in practical work. Almost everv 

 propagator has his favorite method; still those methods practiced 

 by skilful propagators are best, and may be summed up as follows: 

 inarching, bottle-grafting, cleft-grafting, side-grafting, crown- 

 grafting, splice, tongue or whip-grafting, root-grafting and veneer- 

 grafting. The best season for grafting out of doors is in the spring, 

 from !March until June, when the sap is in motion; under glass 

 from August to September with half-ripe wood; and December 



