188 THE FARMER'S 



raon cases; but, for these, Mr. Dcane prefers tho 

 cleft- grafting. This, he says, is most commonly 

 practised in this country, and is attended with suc- 

 cess. It is done on the stocks in the nursery, or 

 on the small limbs of trees. The proper season 

 for it is just before the leaves begin to open. Tho 

 head of the stock must be cut oft* sloping, and a 

 slit made sloping the opposite way, deep enough 

 to recieve the scion, which should be cut like a 

 wedge, with the outside thicker than the inner. 



The rind of the scion must exactly join the rind 

 of the stock. The slit should be opened by a 

 wedge of hard wood; the scion should then be 

 gently put in its place and the stock closed. Af* 

 ter this, the whole must be daubed round closely 

 with a mortar made of a mixture of loom ind fresh 

 horse-dung, so as completely to exclude the access 

 of air; and this mortar must be surrounded with a 

 winding of tow, or old cloths, to prevent the rains 

 fro.m washing it away. The scion should be cov- 

 ered nearly to the top with this mortar; and it 

 should also extend two or three inches downwards 

 round the stock. • 



In place of this mortar, Forsyth recommends 

 a plaister made of pitch, turpentine, and beeswax, 

 which is in like manner to dc daubed closely round 

 so as to exclude the external air. The mortar, 

 however, if well made, and well applied, will an- 

 swer very well. It should be composed of fine 

 loam, not clay; because clay will contract and 

 crack open, when dried. 



Cleft-grafting may be successfully performed on 

 trees, where the fibre of the outer bark runs round; 

 such as the peach, plumb, cherry, &c. by first 

 cutting through that bark, with a knife, at the 



