The Canadian Horticulturist. 143 



them. The bee not having completed her circuit, the part unvisited 

 remains hard, green and shrunken. 



There would be less necessity for the strawberry-grower to alternate his 

 rows of plants with pistillate kinds if he provided himself with a force of 

 pollen carriers in the shape of a few hives of bees. 



This is an exhaustless subject which I need not pursue further. If what 

 I have written serves to insure " the little busy bee " a warmer place in 

 the affections of fruit-growers than she has hitherto enjoyed, my object will 

 be attained. 



Owen Sound, February 21, 1890. R. McKNIGHT, 



GRAFTING. 



THERE are very many apple and pear orchards throughout Ontario 

 which are unprofitable on account of the varieties planted. Many 

 kinds also, once profitable, are so no longer on account of the apple 

 scab, as, for instance, the Fameuse, the Early Harvest, and the Fall Pippin. 



Now any man, who has a little skill in the use of tools, can easily trans- 

 form such trees to kinds that are valuable, by grafting ; an art by many 

 looked upon as difficult, and invested with many secrets. 



The first thing to do is to secure scions of the kinds wanted, for these 

 must be cut while the buds are yet dormant, and be laid away packed in 

 earth, or in fresh sawdust, until needed. If near a good city market it will 

 pay to grow a few such fancy apples as Red Astracan, Duchess and 

 Wealthy, and scions may be secured at a very small cost, from almost any 

 of the nurserymen who advertise in our columns. 



Apples and pears may be grafted much later in the season than stone 

 fruits, for while the latter may be done as early as possible in the Spring, 

 the former need not be done until the last of May, or even the early part of 

 June. 



Cleft Grafting is the usual me. hod, and for the smaller limbs it is the 

 best. For this, the tools required are a sharp saw for cutting off the limbs 

 where the graft is to be inserted, a sharp knife to sharpen the scion, a 

 grafting chisel, such as is shown in fig. 41c, to open the cleft where it is to 

 be inserted, a mallet to drive the chisel, and a small kettle, with a lamp so 

 fixed in it as to warm the water in which the wax is placed till needed. 



Our illustrations will represent the process. The scion, fig. 416, is 

 bevelled equally on both sides, with the outer edge if anything a trifle 

 thicker than the other to ensure firm contact between the cambium layer of 

 the scion and the stock. It is an advantage to have a bud on this edge as 

 shown if the stock is small, one scion may do, as in the engraving ; but if 



