THE MANSE GARDEN. 105 



and certainly to be realised, may well induce you to 

 take the trouble, as occasion may suggest, of carrying 

 home a few slips, and also to put your hand to the 

 neat and interesting experiment of their insertion. 



The slips or shoots, of one year's growth, may be 

 gathered from trees not very old and free of canker, 

 at any time from the fall of the leaf to the opening 

 of the buds in spring ; and they may be carried to 

 any distance, if drying be avoided, which is very 

 simply done by sticking them into a potato. In 

 every case, whether carried to a distance or not, they 

 should be taken from the tree at least a fortnight be- 

 fore engrafting, in order that they may be retarded 

 whilst the tree on which they are to be set is advan- 

 cing; for thus they at once imbibe moisture from the 

 tree which is more advanced; but if they were equally 

 advanced, they would be more liable to wither during 

 the first few days after their insertion. To preserve 

 them after removal from the tree, it is only necessary 

 to set them in the ground, covering them nearly to 

 the top, and rather in dry earth, under the shelter of 

 a bush and shaded from the sun. 



Judge of the proper season for engrafting rather 

 by the opening of the leaf-buds than by the day of 

 the month ; but you will not be far wrong by taking 

 the middle of March as the fit time for pears, and 

 that for apples two weeks later. Choose for the 

 operation a day when it is agreeable to be out of doors 

 mild, but not sunny; and for this latter inconveni- 

 ence early rising is an excellent remedy. Have every 

 thing in readiness a mass of equal parts of blue 

 clay and cow's dung, wrought to such consistence as 

 to retain whatever form you give it, a sharp knife, 



E2 



