GRAFTING AND BUDDING. 17 



sized fruit trees and shrubs, conifers, and rose-trees, or small 

 stocks grafted in the open air or under glass. Two or three 

 threads of it are put together (without twisting them) in 

 lengths proportioned to the thickness of the stocks and the 

 depth of the clefts to be covered. For large stocks this thread 

 would not be sufficiently strong. Cotton-thread is not affected 

 by hygrometric changes, but it does not possess the elasticity 

 of the woollen material. "We recommend it for bud-grafting 

 on strong stems, or such as are of slow increase in bulk, and 

 also for grafts under glass. In applying it as a ligature, it is 

 j best to fasten it with a knot so that it can be easily untied, 

 when it becomes too tight, as cotton is difficult to cut across, 

 and the same ligature can then be used another season. 

 The expense of purchasing cotton and woollen materials for 

 ligatures in nurseries has led to an inquiry for cheaper 

 substitutes. After trying various species of cares and 

 bulrushes, two aquatic plants were found which supply an 

 excellent material for ligatures. These are the reed-mace (Typha 

 latifolia) and the bur-reed (Sparganium ramo sum), both of which 

 grow in abundance on the banks of rivers and ditches, in ponds 

 and marshes, and belong to the natural family of TyphaceaB. 

 The plants are gathered when full-grown, either about the 

 end of summer for the following season's use, or in spring to 

 be used the same year. The leaves, which are thickly crowded 

 at the base, are separated, and put to dry in the shade or in a 

 loft, where they are hung up in bundles formed by tying the 

 ends together. "When the time for using them arrives, they are 

 cut into the lengths required, usually from one foot to twenty 

 inches. A short time before grafting, these ligatures, tied in a 

 bundle, are plunged into water, where they are left for a few 

 hours ; they are then taken out and wrung dry in the same way 

 that linen is wrung. Yery often they are merely put into a 

 cellar to keep them cool and moist, and in places where water 



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