DEFECTS OF GRAFTING AND BUDDING. §5| 



The chance of escaping the rot is much greater. As I Its advantages. 

 prefer experience to reasoning, of 90 bnds that I cut, 

 only 30 had any rot within them ; but in 120 grafts near 

 60 were so bad, as to require care to banish the evil from 

 them. Then the bud stands a far greater chance of taking, 

 for it lies much closer; and there is almost always (espe- 

 cially in peaches, nectarines, apricots, &c.) a couple of 

 concealed buds, which are sure to succeed, if the middle 

 one fails. Beside this, the line of life, which ensures their 

 joining, is more quickly completed in the bud than in the 

 grafts. In the former three weeks or a month will perfect 

 it ; hi. I in the latter six weeks are the earliest time, and I have 

 known, u three months. A bad bud can hardly be so ill done 

 as a 



It is - < pity the country practitioners will not bud Management of 

 their apple ti es, for it is really mortifying to see what orchards - 

 miscn ..-.:. ; y rl<> their trees in grafting them. I have many 

 example nt bunglers around me, that make mc 



deeply re gret this, on account of the cider: and much of 

 the yeari v ay come from this cause: for it is 



making the tree so delicate, as to have its sap checked by 

 every change of weather. People who have not studied 

 this subject may think I exaggerate the evils, that may 

 arise from it ; but. the custom that I have followed for a few 

 years of dissecting ry old fruit tree I could get, and of 

 seeking in every de*d bough for the cause of its death, has 

 laid open to me many evils of this kind little thought of; 

 and I hope shortly to give a letter On the decay of trees in 

 general, that will prove I have not advanced more than ex. 

 perience warrants What I have now written is not as 

 advice to well established nurserymen ; they, I doubt not, 

 manage in a far better manner; I have not the vanity 

 to suppose I can give counsel, where experience must be so 

 good a master. But in this remote country with common 

 practitioners we are certainly not so clever ; and in many of 

 the smaller nurseries about London I saw miserable ex- 

 amples of ill management in this art: and in orchards in 

 general, if people would adopt budding, or, if they must 

 graft, make use of the plaster for a year or two to their 

 grafts; and throw the soap and water, with which they 



wash 



