72 



GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



stock and graft, secures it perfectly. This is the most 

 convenient way of applying wax. 



Modes and Time of Grafting. — The modes of grafting 

 most usually practised are whip and cleft grafting, and 

 they are practised on the stem and branches, or the roots 

 of trees. Root-grafting can be performed at any time in 

 this climate, from December to March inclusive, or from 

 the fall of the leaf until the buds begin to open. Stone- 

 fruits of all kinds must be grafted earlier than apples, 

 pears, &c., as the sap, in the case of stone-fruits, seems to 

 lose all agglutinating properties after its first flow. But 

 the best time for grafting, except in the root, where the 

 scion will be protected by the earth covering it, is while 

 the buds are swelling in the spring. If put in before that 

 time, the alternate freezing and thawing to which they are 

 exposed often destroys the vitality of the graft. February 

 is an excellent time for all stone-fruits ; while apples, pears, 

 &c., may be grafted until they blossom, if the scions are 

 kept perfectly fresh, without growth. Grafting the pear 

 succeeds perfectly well just before the second growth, 

 early in August, if the sap is thrown into the 

 graft, by rubbing off the other shoots as they 

 appear. 



Vnip, or Splice Grafting — (see figure). — This 

 mode is applicable to all small stocks, and suc- 

 ceeds best where the scion and stock are exactly 

 the same size. Both stock and scion are cut off 

 with a sloping cut about an inch and a half long 

 on each, so as to match precisely, if of the same 

 size; or, if not, at least on one side. A tongue 

 Whip Graft made by slitting the scion upward, and 



the stock downward, which is raised on each 

 and fitted into the slit of the other — holding the scion 



