March] JHE NURSERY. 251 



last of all, such as were produced from suckers; for the last will 

 continue to throw up suckers from their roots, much more abun- 

 dantly than any of the former, to the great annoyance of the borders, 

 garden, or orchard, which are not only unsightly, but they also 

 take off' a great part of the nourishment from the trees. 



When you intend to change the fruit of an old espalier or wall- 

 tree, always graft on fresh healthy branches, and as near the trunk 

 as such are to be found; ten or a dozen grafts may be necessary to 

 furnish the tree, the more immediately, with the kind or kinds de- 

 sired. For a standard, six or eight cions will be sufficient to answer 

 a similar purpose, always observing to cut out the far greater part, 

 if not the whole, of the old branches, previous to grafting, and the 

 remainder, as the young grafts advance in growth. 



For this purpose, you must be provided, 1. With a strong knife 

 to cut oft" the heads of the stocks previous to the insertion of the 

 grafts. 2. With a neat small hand-saw, for occasional use, in cut- 

 ting off' the heads of some large stocks, for crown -grafting. 3. 

 With a grafting-chisel and small mallet, for clefting large stocks, 

 for the reception of the cions in cleft-grafting. 4. With a neat and 

 very sharp pruning-knife for cutting and shaping the grafts, and 

 for sloping and forming the stocks for their reception; and 5. With 

 a quantity of new bass strings; or, if bass cannot be had, with soft 

 woollen yarn, to tie the parts close, secure the grafts, and thereby 

 to promote their speedy union with the stocks. 



The next thing to be provided, is a quantity of grafting clay, 

 which should be prepared at least ten days previous to its being 

 wanted for nse; to be applied closely around the grafts at the places 

 of insertion into the stocks, and a little above, in order to prevent 

 the air from exhausting the sap of the cions, before they could be 

 supplied with a sufficiency from the stocks, and also to keep out 

 wet, which would greatly obstruct the uniting of the parts: it is to 

 be made in the following manner. 



Get a quantity of strong fat loam, in proportion to the number of 

 trees to be grafted; then take about a fourth part of fresh horse- 

 dung, free from litter, or a third part of cow-dung, it matters not 

 which you make use of; or, if you please, you may use a propor- 

 tionate quantity of each, mixing them, or either of them, well with 

 the loam; add to it a small quantity of hay, cut very fine, and also 

 some salt, which will prevent it from cracking or drying too fast in 

 hot or parching weather; work the whole well together, and add 

 as much water as necessary; after which, beat and incorporate the 

 mass effectually, after the manner of mortar, and continue so to 

 work it every other day, adding a little water as it becomes dry, till 

 the time you want it for use. Be very particular during this period 

 not to expose it to frost or drying winds; and the more effectually 

 you incorporate it, the better will it answer your purpose. Some 

 people use a composition of beeswax, rosin, and turpentine, melted 

 together, to put round the grafts in the manner of clay, but laid on 

 warm and much thinner. This I conceive to be too expensive, and 

 am certain, from experience, that it does not answer the end a whit 

 better, nor even so well as the former, if properly made. 



