PROPAGATION. 101 



is often used, where it can be obtained, but the best ma- 

 terial is saw-dust. This latter is clean, whereas the sand 

 and soil will dull the knife. If the scions should have be- 

 come dry and shriveled, they may still be revived by 

 placing them in soil that is moderately moist, not wet 

 they should not, by any means, be placed in water, but 

 should be so situated that they may slowly imbibe mois- 

 ture. When they have been plumped, they should be ex- 

 amined by cutting into their tissues ; if these be brown, 

 they are useless, but if alive, the fresh cut will look clear 

 and white, and the knife will pass as freely through them 

 . as when cutting a fresh twig. 



The after-treatment of the grafts consists in removing 

 the sprouts that appear upon the stock below the scion, 

 often in great numbers. These are called robbers, as they 

 take the sap which should go into the scion. It is some- 

 times well to leave a portion of these as an outlet for ex- 

 cess. When the graft is tardy in its vegetation, and in 

 late grafting, it is always safest to leave some of these 

 shoots to direct the circulation to the part, and thus insure 

 a supply to the newly introduced scion ; all should even- 

 tually be removed, so as to leave the graft supreme. 



It may sometimes be necessary to tie up the young 

 shoot which pushes with vigor, and may fall and break 

 with its own weight before the supporting woody fibre 

 has been deposited ; but a much better policy is to pinch 

 in the tip when but a few inches long, and thus encourage 

 the swelling and breaking of the lateral buds, and produce 

 a more sturdy result. This is particularly the case in 

 stock-grafts and in renewing an orchard by top-grafting. 



