82 



OF GRAFFINO. 



SECT. VII, 



The Hons fhould be healthy and Jlrong, (not however 

 of a foft, feppy, luxuriant growth,) and taken from 

 the outjides of fruitful trees, where the juices of the 

 wood have been properly digefted by fun and air : they 

 fhould be taken (if it may be) from trees ju ft in their 

 prime, or at full bearing, and not before. Let them be 

 cut two or three weeks fooner than wanted, and if kept 

 longer they may not hurt, for they had better be cut a 

 little too foon, than too late, at full length, without any 

 fide (hoots. 



Let the cions of pears, plums, and cherries be cut from 

 the middle to the end of January, and at farther! not 

 beyond the middle of February ; the feafon muft, how- 

 ever, fomewhat govern. Keep them all over in dry 

 mould, clofe under a fouth wall, or fome fhelter, 

 covering them with ftraw in wet or fevere weather. 

 Some preferve them in a cool room, where they will do 

 without mould, but it would be better to fet them up 

 an end in a garden-pot, half their length, with mould, 

 or faftd, nearly dry. 



Cions cut early are prevented from getting too for- 

 ward in bud; and if the buds begin to ftart, and look 

 white, they feldom take. By having them as long as 

 they may be kept before ufed, the fap of the flock 

 gets in forwardnefs ; for it' muft firft begin to ftir, and 

 fo b e ready to pufh itfelf quickly into the cion, (now 

 fomewhat exhaufted,} to form a union with it. 



The middle of cions is fitteft for the purpofe; but do 

 not cut off the tops till they are brought out to graft, 

 for they keep fjeft in length. If cions are to be trans- 

 ported to any diftance, let their ends be ftuck two or 

 three inches in clay, and fo matted round in a^bundle ; 

 or, if wrapped round with a fine hay rope, and fm eared 

 over with cow dung, clay, or a ftrong earth, they will 

 not foon wither. 



Some gardeners fay, cions fnould be only of the laft 

 year's growth, and others, that the wood of the year 

 before is beft; but it is fo far a matter of indifference, 



that 



