THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



91 



'^imelg ^inta. 



GRAFTING. 



April and May are the months for 

 top-grafting. This operation is so simple 

 and so iiseful that every orchardipt 

 should practice it. Our countiy is full 

 of orchards that are unprofitable, owing 

 to inferior kinds, or because of the 

 ajjple spot. The best remedy in cases 

 of old and feeble trees would be to cut 

 them down and burn them; but, if still 

 thrifty in growth, they should be top- 

 grafted to n^ore desirable kinds. Scions 

 of the best varieties can easily be pur- 

 chased from any of our leading nursery- 

 men at a small expense. 



The important point in grafting is to 

 secure a perfect union Vjetween the 

 cambum layer of the stock and that of 

 the scion. It is through this delicate 

 tissue, lying between the wood and the 

 bark, that the circulation of the mucil- 

 aginous liquid continues which de- 

 velops the new growth of each. If this 

 union is well adjusted the operation is 

 pretty sure of success, other things 

 being equal. 



The Rural New-Yorker commends 

 the following as a simple and easy 

 method of grafting : — 



" Cut off the stock at a right anofle 

 to itself. Cut a slit down the bark an 

 inch or more fi'om the top, as in bud- 

 ding. Cut the scion four or more 

 inches long and, beveling one side of 

 the larger end, insert it after loosening 

 the bark on either side of the cut, the 

 same as a bud is pushed into its place. 

 One or a dozen scions may thus be in- 

 serted in the stock according to its 

 size." 



FERTILIZERS. 

 Professor Panton, of the Agricultural 

 College, Guelph, gave some valuable 

 information on this subject at the Chat- 

 ham meeting. Speaking of the value 



of nitrogenous manures for the straw- 

 berry, he said that dried blood, was very 

 rich in nitrogen and was especially use- 

 ful for the strawberry. It contains 14 

 per cent, of ammonia (a compound of 

 nitrogen and hydrogen) and 7 per cent, 

 of phosphoric acid. 



He advised the application of 300 

 lbs. per acre, between the rows. A 

 home-made 



SUPERPHOSPHATE FOR THE ORCHARD 



can be manufactured as follows : — By 

 bulk, one part bone dust, two parts 

 ashes, to which add one-third bulk of 

 water and one-sixth bulk of plaster. 

 This lacks nitrogen, for the supply of 

 which barn-yard manure can be added. 

 Another formula which he gave was 

 as follows : — By weight, one part bone- 

 dust, one part ashes, oue-quarter part 

 slacked lime, one-eighth part crude car- 

 bonate of soda. Mix this and let it 

 stand ; then add, s:iy about one-half 

 bulk of good soil. 



Fertilizers for the Strawberrry. — The Edi- 

 tor of the Rural New-Yorker has tried 

 successfully the following fertilizer for 

 the strawberry and recommends it to 

 others. The proportions for an aci'e 

 are 500 lbs. wood ashes, 400 lbs. bone 

 flour, 200 lbs. nitrate of soda and 200 

 lbs. of kainit. 



Nitrate of Soda. — Mr. Joseph Harris 

 says it is surprising that we have not 

 yet learned what a cheap and valuable 

 fertilizer we have in nitrate of soda. It 

 is derived from the leaching of sea-weed 

 and other vegetable matter, and is the 

 very essence of manure. 



It looks like common salt, and may 

 be sown hand-cast over the ground at 

 the rate of 500 or 600 lbs. per acre. It 

 is a ca])ital fertilizer for the lawn, gar- 

 den and orchard. 



Trees Girdled by the mice in winter 

 may, according to the Orchard and 

 Garden, be saved by immediately cover- 

 ing the wound with grafting-wax, or 



