CULTIVATION OF THE ORANGE TREE IN SPAIN. 541 



Grafting also serves for the propagation of many trees and boshes, 

 both exotic, rare, and delicate, by employing specimens of wild, rustic, 

 and strong plants that may be analogous, or of the same family, so as 

 to improve the budding of the branches of a plant which has become 

 stripped of same (in the regions where the cultivator wishes to augment 

 the growth and reproduce the species), and also to unite on a single 

 branch the male and female flowers of vegetables normally u dicecians," 

 which are thus converted into "moncecians," and their fertilization vastly 

 improved. The " graft " is the name given to the shoot, or branch, etc., 

 inserted in another, and u parent" is that in which it is grafted; and 

 the plant obtained is called u franco " when both are raised from the 

 same class of seed, and " bastard " when from different species. With 

 all grafting it is necessary to put similar textures in contact, and above 

 all the generating layers or vegetative zones of both parent and graft, 

 and at the same time impede the access of air and light to the uncovered 

 p;irt, or the wound. It is not, as it is generally believed, the joining of 

 the bark which contributes to the perfection of the grafting, but rather 

 of that generative texture or cambium which exists between the white 

 wood and the bark, by which is effected the growth in diameter of the 

 flidoneos, vegetable substances. 



In order to obtain a successful result, the operations should be per- 

 formed in fine and temperate weather. The parent plants should be 

 carefully selected, not too young, as although the grafting might be 

 successful, they would be long in bearing fruit, notwithstanding that 

 would be frondose; neither too old, because although giving fruit 

 sooner, they are of little duration ; further, those selected must be per- 

 fectly sound, well formed, and possessing a clean bark. There are four 

 >ns when the operation of grafting may be performed, viz, at the 

 impulse, at the time of shooting, at the time of vivifying, and when 

 sleeping. 



Grafting at the impulse is done when the movement of the sap com- 

 mences and the buds begin to wake out of the lethargic state in which 

 they had been all the winter, but before they have unfolded. The sea- 

 son for doing this is from the middle of February till the commencing 

 of April, and it is done by grafting twigs of the previous year. 



Graf ling at time of shooting is when the sap is at its greatest activity 

 and when the shoot has attained half or three-quarters part of its defi- 

 nite growth. This system is generally carried into operation from the 

 commencement of April till end of May, and the ingrafted shoot availed 

 of is a tender shoot of the same vigor as that of the portion of the par- 

 ent plant where it is to be ingrafted. 



Grafting at time of vivifying is so called because it is done at the sol- 

 stice and when the shoots commence to put forth their second sprouts, 

 which occurs from about the end of May till the end of June. The cut- 

 tings for grafting on vivifying are selected from twigs of the same year. 



drafting when sleeping is done at the equinox in September, and only 



