510 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



mixed compost and drainage. Armed with this, proceed to turn the 

 plants out of their now too small pots by inverting each plant, tapping 

 the rim of the pot on the edge of the potting-bench or table on which 

 the work is being done ; then carefully remove the drainage from the 

 bottom of the root-ball, and a little of the top soil also. The ball in 

 the potting process may be buried rather deeper in the new pot than it 

 was in the old one, the new compost being well worked in round the 

 root-ball with the aid of a stick to make it firm. New roots are quickly 

 formed. 



Grafting 1 . This operation is invariably performed in the spring, 

 just as the sap is rising or becoming active. It can be done on small 

 stems or on very large ones, such as are found on old trees. The 

 practice consists in placing a piece of stem of one variety of fruit, that 

 may be about six inches long, and the size round of a man's finger, 

 or less, on to the crown of a small stem, singly, or putting several 

 on to the severed stem of a large branch. Grafts, or, as called, scions, 

 should be cut from their respective trees in the early winter, be tied 

 in bundles, named, and then have one-half their lengths buried in 

 soil under a north wall or fence. That keeps them back somewhat. 

 Then when wanted for use in April, as that is the best month for 

 grafting, they are taken from the soil, cleaned, and cut into lengths 

 of a few inches. On one side of the lower or base end a slice of 

 bark 3 inches long is cut off, leaving the base end with a point, or 

 wedge-shaped. Then the graft is ready for insertion in the stock. 

 The head should be clean cut off, and the stem be quite free from 

 any side shoots below. With a sharp knife a slit has to be made down 

 the bark of a large stem, and that being lifted at the edges, the slit 

 point of the graft is forced firmly into the slit in the stock, then tied 

 round tightly, and coated with either wax or clay to exclude air. If a 

 small stock, then a slice is taken off the bark of that 3 inches long, 

 and by an upward cut, so that when the sliced end of the graft is placed 

 on to it, it fits evenly. But every care should be taken that the edges 

 of the bark on both stock and scion meet on one side, otherwise there 

 will be no union. Then the two must be secured, tied with bast, and 

 the edges coated with warm grafting-wax, or the whole stem with clay, to 

 exclude air from the united portions. There are other methods of 

 grafting, but this describes the process generally. 



Hybrid. This name is one well understood by botanists, but is 

 often misapplied by gardeners and others. True hybrids are rare in 

 vegetable life, because they must be the product of two distinct species, 

 although of the same family of plants. Quite different families will not 

 intercross, and in those species that will do so there must be something 

 similar in character. Thus if a common Primrose were crossed with a 

 Chinese Primrose a true hybrid would result, but no such cross does 

 occur. But the common Primrose will cross with the Cowslip, because 

 they are closely allied species. When two varieties of the same 

 species are crossed, such as two Dahlias, Fuchsias, Potatoes, Apples, or 

 any other things, the product is not a hybrid but merely a variety. 



