124 OF APPLES. 



budding or grafting, as soon as the incision is 

 made, and the bud or graft inserted, to rub in 

 with the finger, or a brush, some of the Compo- 

 sition before the bass is tied on ; then cover the 

 bass all over with the composition as thick as it 

 can be laid on with a brush, working it well in. 

 If this operation be performed in a proper manner, 

 and in a moist season, it will answer every purpose, 

 without applying any grafting clay. 



This I have frequently done, and found it suc- 

 ceed perfectly to my wishes. Observe not to 

 slacken too soon the matting which is wrapped 

 round the bud ; for in that case you will find the 

 incision opened, which very often occasions the 

 death of the bud. 



If nurserymen and gardeners would give this 

 method a fair trial, and use the same composition 

 as I use for curing defects in trees, instead of loam 

 and horse-dung, (which binds so hard as to pre- 

 vent the rain and moisture from penetrating to 

 the graft to moisten the wood and bark,) they 

 would find that the grafts would succeed much 

 better. The composition, for this purpose, should 

 be rather softer than grafting clay generally is ; 

 and, instead of applying so large a mass as is 

 generally done of clay, it need not, in most cases, 

 be more than two or three inches in circumference. 



