On Apple Trees and Grafting, 95 



In cutting grafts off a tree, I prefer taking one only 

 of each limb, that is that I may have the bilge or joint 

 between the two years growths, to shave and set in the 

 stock ; — that bilge is curly and porous, more readily 

 catches the sap from the stock, and I find by experience 

 will grow more the first season than any other graft taken 

 from that limb ; if there is no such bilge or joint on 

 my graft, I shave it with a bud outward, that there 

 may be a crook in the sap of the graft, more certainly to 

 catch the sap of the stock : by observing these simple 

 natural rules, I have set in one season upwards of 400 

 grafts, and not had more than two to fail ; — and have 

 also readily instructed many people ignorant of the 

 business. 



In grafting peaches, cherries or plumbs, in all which 

 the outside bark of the stock runs round, there is another 

 caution necessary in the splitting the stock, or the bark 

 will tear rough and the graft die ; that is, to enter the 

 knife in the top of the stock, so far as to just strain the 

 bark but not to tear it, I then take the sharp point of 

 another knife, and split the bark down on each side the 

 stock, just where I expect the stock to split, then pro- 

 ceed exactly as for the apple, and I find them to grow 

 equally certain and well : — my apple grafts set in the 

 limbs of trees generally bear the third year ; I have 

 several times for experiment taken grafts at same 

 time, off bearing trees, and off grafts that had been set 

 the year before of the same kind of fruit, and grafted 

 them the same day in different limbs of the same tree, 

 and cannot discover any difference in their time of bear- 

 ing ; — yet some kinds of fruit do not bear as early as 

 others. 



