September, 191 



THE G A RDEN MAGAZINE 



49 



Grafting for Winter and Spring 



GRAFTING is usually a winter or spring 

 process. Root-grafting of apples is 

 commonly done in January or February. The 

 variety scions of wood of the previous season's 

 growth are gathered in early winter and the 

 seedling trees or " stocks," as they are called by 

 nurserymen, are dug at this time and both 

 are stored in damp sand or boxes of slightly 

 damp hardwood sawdust in a cold cellar until 

 they are wanted. 



A whip or tongue graft, as shown in Fig. 2, 

 is used largely in the propagation of apples. 

 These whip grafts are usually made with a 

 three inch piece of scion and a whole seedling 

 root or sometimes only a piece of seedling 

 root, two or three inches long. The value 

 of the whole-root grafted trees versus piece- 



root grafted trees has been urged and ex- 

 ploited for many years in the nurserymen's 

 catalogues. For the first year, the whole-root 

 grafted trees may grow a little faster than the 

 piece-root grafted ones, since they have a little 

 more root to start with, but in my observation, 

 in a season or less the latter are as large, as 

 vigorous and quite as satisfactory and after a 

 short time the two kinds cannot be told apart. 

 The grafts after being made as illustrated in 

 Fig. 2 are wrapped with string — usually waxed 

 — and packed in boxes of sand or hardwood 

 sawdust and again put in the cellar to callous 

 till planting time in spring when they are set 

 out in good, rich soil, being set usually so deep 

 that only the top bud of the scion projects 

 above the ground. 



For top-grafting the old-fashioned cleft 



graft is the most satisfactory. The best wax 

 we have found is made by melting together: 



4 pounds rosin 



2 beeswax 



I tallow or linseed oil 



Fhis, when melted, is poured into cold 

 water and after slightly cooling is pulled like 

 candy until it acquires a grain when it is 

 wrapped in waxed paper and laid away until 

 wanted. 



The process of budding and grafting as 

 explained above are similarly applicable to all 

 kinds of ornamental trees and shrubs, with 

 certain special modifications that experience 

 may suggest. The same principles apply of 

 course when grafting or "working over" the top 

 of an old tree, for the basic principle is con- 

 stant. 



In the mixed herbaceous border for color 



For semi-formal effects near the house 



Plant Peonies in September 



A FEW PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR THE USE OF THIS 

 SPLENDID PERENNIAL 



Lift with plenty of roots 



As a solitary clump in semi-shade 



Division into pieces is easy 



