390 THE CAMELLIA. 



This is called the stock. Cut off the head to within an 

 inch of the ground level. Pare one side of the remaining 

 inch. Next seek a scion or graft for these terms are 

 synonymous pare the lower end so that it will lie on the 

 stock in such manner that the inner bark of the graft lies 

 exactly upon the inner bark of the stock. Bind the two 

 together with loosely-twisted cotton, and cover the point 

 of junction with tallow, wax, or grafting composition to 

 exclude air and moisture. 



Grafting is usually performed in autumn, and that 

 season is considered the best, but it may be done at any 

 time between August and February. The stocks when 

 grafted should be placed in a close house with gentle heat, 

 or if a close house is not available, the desired conditions 

 may be obtained by the use of handlights. 



About six weeks after grafting the graft will be found 

 united to the stock, not very firmly perhaps, but suffi- 

 ciently to admit of the loosening of the ligature. If the 

 ligature is wholly removed, it is, however, often necessary, 

 and always the safer plan, to retie with bast at the top 

 and bottom of the junction. Air may now be gradually 

 admitted, and after a time, say two months, these grafted 

 plants may be removed to join the general stock. 



Inarching is an old-fashioned way of propagating the 

 Camellia, but it is still occasionally practised. It is 

 especially useful for converting large plants of indifferent 

 varieties into the handsome modern kinds. It may indeed 

 be considered as a species of grafting. The grafts instead 

 of being wholly cut off from the tree are laid on sideways, 

 while communication with the parent stem and root is 

 still maintained. This was for many years the favourite 

 method with nurserymen for propagating even small 

 plants of the finer sorts of Camellias. It was a very 

 safe plan, but both troublesome and tedious, and now 

 that grafting is so thoroughly understood that with skil- 

 ful propagators not one graft in a hundred fails, inarching 

 is practised only in exceptional cases. 



