THE GREEN-HOUSE. 



201 



in these particulars : that whereas in grafting the 

 scion is at once totally separated from its parent plant, 

 and the head of the stock is cut clear off before the 

 splicing or fitting together takes place, here, on the 

 contrary, neither the scion is separated from its parent, 

 nor (in general) the head of the stock cut away, until 

 the union becomes so far complete, that the first is 

 unnecessary, and the latter injurious. It is in conse- 

 quence much preferable to the common mode of graft- 

 ing, for all delicate and difficult plants, and especially 

 for evergreens. It is generally practised as the best 

 means of multiplying all the fine double varieties of 

 camellia, and plants of similar habits ; because their 

 strong leathery leaves, if only for a few days deprived 

 of their regular support, by being cut clean off from 

 the mother stock, if not covered very closely with a 

 glass will be certain to wither and fall off, after which 

 there is very little chance of the scions completing a 

 union with the stock. 



It is an important point in grafting of any kind, or 

 in budding, to ascertain what sort of stocks may be 

 used, and what may be the probable influence of the 

 stock on the scion. The general and a safe rule is, 

 to choose a stock from some of the coarser free-grow- 

 ing varieties or species of the same genus ; and thus 

 the common red camellia is chosen as a stock for most 

 of the other sorts ; the common citron for the different 

 sorts of orange, and so on. But sometimes the same 

 genus does not afford a coarser-growing species, or 

 perhaps there is no other species of that genus. 



