BOOK I. APPLE. 699 



the sun, the vigor of the" shoots, during the first season, will be diminished, and the 

 grafts will not succeed with equal certainty ; though a graft of the apple-tree very rarely 

 fails, unless by accidental injury, or great want of skill in the operator. The amputated 

 branches must be kept alive till wanted, by having the end of each planted in the ground, 

 a few inches deep in a shady situation." 



4396. Stocks destined to form standard trees, may either be grafted at the usual height at which the 

 lateral branches are allowed to diverge, which is commonly six feet, or they may be grafted near the 

 ground, and a single shoot trained from the graft, so as to form the stem of the tree. The propriety of 

 grafting near the ground, or at the height of six or seven feet, will depend on the kind of fruit to be 

 propagated, whether it be quite new and just beginning to bear, or a middle-aged variety. In new and 

 luxuriant varieties, and these only should be propagated, it will be advantageous to graft when the stocks 

 are three years old, as the growth of such will be more rapid, smooth, and upright than that of the crab, 

 and there will be no danger of these being injured by beginning to bear too early. Middle-aged varieties 

 will be most successfully propagated by planting stocks of six or seven foot high, and letting them remain 

 ungrafted till they become firmly rooted in the places in which the trees are to stand. One graft only 

 should be inserted in each stock ; for when more are used, they are apt to divide when loaded with fruit, 

 and to cleave the stock, having no natural bond or connection with each other. When the stocks are 

 too large for a single scion, I would recommend that the grafts be inserted in the branches, and not in 

 the principal stem. This practice is not uncommon in various parts of England ; and is general in 

 Germany, with free stocks, where, however, they often neglect to graft the trees ; and thus, as Neill ob- 

 serves, produce an endless variety of sorts, some good, but most of them little better than crabs. 



4397. Stocks, intended to form half standards, are grafted at three or four feet from the ground ; and 

 those for dwarfs at eight or ten inches, or lower. Miller and Knight agree in recommending to graft 

 near the ground where lasting and vigorous trees are wanted ; but the practice of the continental gar- 

 deners, and the opinions of some in this country, are in favor of leaving a stem below the graft of not 

 less than a foot in length. 



4398. The kind of grafting generally adopted for moderate-sized stocks is the whip or tongue method 

 (2038.), or the new mode of saddle-grafting (2033.) adopted by Knight ; and the general time for the ap- 

 ple is the end of February and greater part of March. Much depends on the season and situation ; the 

 guiding principle is, to make choice of the time when the sap of the stock is in full motion ; while that of 

 the scions, from having been previously cut oft' and placed in the shade, is less so. 



4399. The common season for budding the apple is July ; as there is nothing peculiar to this tree in 

 performing that operation, we refer to the general directions. (2050.) 



4400. Transplanting grafted trees in the nursery. " It has been recommended," 

 Knight observes, " to remove grafted trees once or twice during the time they remain in 

 the nurst v ry, under the idea of increasing the number of their roots; but I think this 

 practice only eligible with trees which do not readily grow when transplanted. I have 

 always found the growth of young apple-trees to be much retarded, and a premature 

 disposition to blossom to be brought on by it ; and I could not afterwards observe that 

 those trees, which had been twice removed, grew better than others. It has also been 

 supposed that many small roots, proceeding immediately from the trunk, are, in the future 

 growth of the tree, to be preferred to a few which are large ; but as the large roots of 

 necessity branch into small, which consequently extend to a greater distance, the advan- 

 tages of more transplantations than from the seed-bed to the nursery, and thence to the 

 garden or orchard, may reasonably be questioned." 



4401. The choice of sorts depends on the object in view. The first thing an inex- 

 perienced gardener has to do is to consider the various domestic uses of the apple, and 

 then determine what is wanted, according to the family or market to be supplied ; the 

 next thing is to consider how those wants may be supplied in his given soil, situation, 

 and circumstances ; and the last thing is to study the catalogue of sorts, and select ac- 

 cordingly. In every garden and private orchard, apples for ten different purposes are 

 desirable : 



4402. For summer culinary use, as the 



Codlings, while not fully grown or imperfectly ripe, which are fit for using in June, July, and August. 



4403. For summer eating or table use, as the 



Jennetting, pomroy, &c. which ripen I Margaret summer pearmain,&c. which I Kentish fill-basket, Hawthomdean, &c. 

 in the end of June or in July | ripen in July I which ripen in August. 



4404. For autumn baking, as the 



Codlings and Burknott's, red streaks, I Piles's russet, Carlisle codling, cat's I Wormsley pippin, golden Harvey, queen- 

 Eve apple, courtpendu, nonsuch, &c. head, embroidered, &c. which ripen ing, golden russet, which ripen m 

 which ripen in September I in October I November. 



4405. For autumn table use, as the 



Kirton and Dalmahoy pippins, Loan's I Orange and ribstone pippins, grey I Franklin's golden, and Borsdorf pippins, 

 pearmain, colville, Kent, godolphin, rennet, fameuse, violet, &c. which Dredge's russet, margil, &c. which 

 &c. which ripen in September | ripen in October I ripen in November. 



4406. For winter culinary use, as the 



Minier's dumpling, Burknott, John Hall-door, royal pearmain,Dutch queen- I Brindgwood pippin, cockagee, tanker- 

 apple, Mansfield tart, &c. which are ing, Aclam's russet, which are fit to ton, box-apple, &c. which are nt to 

 lit to use in December use in January I use in t ebruary . 



4407. For winter table use, as the 



Golden and Kentish pippins, golden and 

 Canadian rennets, brandy, &c. which 

 are fit to eat in December 



The Norfolk storing, Hubbard's 

 house, white courtpendu, &c< 

 are fit to eat in January I pearmain : 



| February 



;, Syke- I Dredge's Queen Charlotte, Fearns,Skerm's 

 .which kernel, and Dalmahoy pippins, royal 

 1 pearmain, &c. which are fit to eat in 



4408. For spring culinary use, as the 



Quince, white colville, Lord Camden's I Spencer pippin, Trevoider rennet, Mac- j Norfolk paradise, Loan's pearmain. 



rennet, winter pearmain, which keep donald's Scotch nonpareil, Spaniard, English rennet, &c. which keep nil 



till the end of March &c. which kep till the end of April | the end of May. 



