hy Lindlei/s Theory of Horticulture. 453 



warm, the graft will perish more readily than if the growth of 

 the stock had commenced first, and the graft been fed from the 

 union of the tree : for this purpose, the grafts of deciduous 

 plants should be taken off before they begin to sv/ell in the bud ; 

 as, if growth has commenced, it will proceed farther in the 

 graft, though off the plant, and be hurtful. Neither seeds nor 

 cuttings will perish near so readily when in a dormant state, as 

 when life is set in motion, and then checked. To prevent 

 clinging or shrinking, we should choose well-ripened wood. 

 The young shoots of young trees, or the bottom growths of old 

 trees, are generally more vigorous than the extremities of old 

 trees, vitality is most active in these young shoots ; but in 

 grafts that have the young wood soft and apt to cling, as beech, 

 &c., we should choose strong, vigorous, two or three years old 

 wood. Many grafts that succeed with difficulty, as beech, oaks, 

 &c., if the grafts are retarded, the old wood chosen, and the 

 stock allowed to spring before grafting, will succeed in this way, 

 when they will do so in no other. Much of the success, however, 

 depends on the warmth of the weather keeping the sap flowing. 

 Moist warm weather is good ; but heat is the principal requisite, 

 the stocks being already established ; and wet weather is very 

 often cold in spring. The mechanical part of the operation 

 depends on the slopes of the cuts being made to fit one another 

 exactly, which is easiest done by choosing the slopes of the 

 graft to fit those of the stock as nearly as possible ; by thin 

 slices being taken off each ; by using a thin-backed, broad- 

 bladed, sharp knife ; and by drawing the hand straight without 

 twisting when making the cut. The graft and stock must be 

 hard pressed together, without shifting, in the tying ; which is 

 best done by a smart hitch, or pull, every time the wet bast 

 ligature passes the graft in the act of tying, and not by continued 

 pulling. The above remarks apply chiefly to whip-grafting, which 

 is the most common. Crown-grafting is that most practised 

 for old trees ; and the necessity to take off the grafts, and allow 

 the stock to push, is here absolute ; as the operation cannot be 

 performed properly till the bark rises fi^eely from the stock. 

 When the bark rises freely, success is very certain in this way, 

 if the grafts are strong, and not sprung ; as the flow of sap 

 causes union to take place speedily, and the strong bark keeps 

 the graft in its place. If the bark and wood of the stock do not 

 separate freely, it is in vain to attempt grafting in this way. 

 Grafting soft evergreens, as daphnes, &c., is best done by 

 waiting till growth has fairly commenced, and inserting the 

 graft in the manner of a bud, by opening the bark of the stock. 

 The grafts of these must not be taken off till needed, as they 

 are not dormant like deciduous grafts, and more apt to perish. 



