PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 



333 



culent plants; and some Continental growers 

 employ it in the propagation of roses and ca- 

 mellias. For the latter purpose it is of consider- 

 able importance, as each individual bud is made 

 to form a plant, the scion being cut so that only 

 one bud is attached to each. 



Crown-grafting is merely a variety of cleft-graft- 

 ing, and is sometimes called rind-grafting. It is 

 practised upon old trees, either for their total re- 

 newal, or upon large amputated branches, to renew 

 by degrees. It is, upon the whole, a better mode 

 than cleft-grafting, because the stock, if old, is 

 not subjected to the chance 

 of being split, the scions 

 in this case being placed 

 between the bark and the 

 wood. Fig. 105 will illus- 

 trate the process. It is 

 performed later in the 

 season than cleft-grafting 

 — that is, from the end of 

 March to the end of April 

 — because then the bark 

 separates more freely from . 

 the wood than at an earlier 

 period. In rind or crown 

 grafting, great care must 

 be taken that the bark of 

 the stock be not bruised 

 during the process of open- 

 ing the bark for the recep- 

 tion of the scion, and for 

 this purpose a proper 

 spatula or grafting-knife 

 Some use a piece of hard 

 wood, fashioned in form of a scion, and others 

 one of bone or ivory ; the use of these is to se- 

 parate the bark from the wood without injuring 

 the former. The scion is prepared without a 

 tongue, and is placed in the stock so that its 

 wood may be in contact with the alburnum of 

 the stock. Sometimes it is cut with a sort of 

 shoulder at the top of the cut, that the graft 

 may rest on the wood of the stock, and in this 

 case it is called shoulder-grafting. 

 The graft being prepared in either 

 way, the bark of the stock is 

 opened to the extent of 2 inches, 

 and the scion is made to pass 

 down between the wood and the 

 bark. If the bark of the stock is 

 hard and dry, and does not yield 

 readily, it may be scored or cut 

 perpendicularly downward, to en- 

 able the operator to open it, so 

 that he may thrust the scion into 

 its place with its cut side next to 

 the wood: this being done, tying 

 and claying is followed as in for- 

 mer cases. 



Peg-grafting. — This is one of 

 the oldest varieties of this mode 

 of propagation, although now sel- 

 dom used. The annexed cut, fig. 

 1 06, and a brief description, will 

 sufficiently explain its principles. 

 The stock is cut over horizon- 

 tally at the desired height, and a 

 peg-grafting, hole is drilled in the centre to 

 VOL. II. 



CROWN-GRAFTING. 



should be used. 



Fig. 106. 



receive the end of the scion, and this hole 

 must be in proportion to the size of the tree to 

 be operated upon : if for a small tree (for it 

 should be understood that the scion in this 

 case may comprise the whole tree) or plant, 

 a |-inch gimlet will be sufficient ; but for one 

 of large dimensions and spreading head an 

 augur of 2 or 3 inches may be used. The 

 depth to which this perforation should be made 

 will, for obvious reasons, be determined by the 

 size of the scion. The scion should also be of 

 the same diameter with the stock, and so fa- 

 shioned that a portion of its lower end is re- 

 duced, leaving only so much of the centre as 

 will form a peg (from thence the name) or dowel, 

 in the phraseology of carpenters, to fit exactly 

 into the perforation, so that, when the surface 

 of the section of the stock and scion come 

 together, the bark and alburnum of each shall 

 be exactly opposite to each other, which leads 

 at once to the conclusion that the diameter of 

 both stock and scion should be equal. When 

 the scion is thus fitted on top of the stock, the 

 graft or top of the tree is supported firmly in its 

 upright position by props, to secure it against 

 displacement by winds, &c. The place of junc- 

 tion is carefully clayed round ; and if the ope- 

 ration is performed close to the ground (which, 

 although not in all cases necessary, is in most 

 instances expedient), is covered over with soil, 

 the better to exclude the air. By this means 

 trees of almost any size may be grafted, so long 

 as we have mechanical power to elevate them, 

 and keep them in their proper place. This was 

 accomplished prior to 1817 by Dr Van Mons of 

 Brussels, who inserted an entire tree on the 

 stump of another. This rather uncommon effort 

 in the art of grafting was shown to the late Dr 

 Neill in 1817, who describes it as follows in " The 

 Horticultural Tour," p. 310 : " A neighbour hav- 

 ing, in the spring season, cut down an apple- 

 tree about 15 feet high, which Dr Van Mons 

 considered as a desirable kind, and a good healthy 

 tree, he immediately selected 

 a stock of similar dimensions, 

 and, cutting it over near the 

 ground, placed on it, by the 

 mode of peg-grafting, the 

 foster tree, supporting the 

 tree by stakes, and excluding 

 the air as we have noticed 

 above." The experiment suc- 

 ceeded perfectly, the tree 

 becoming, in course of the 

 second summer, nearly as 

 vigorous as ever. 



The same tree we saw in 

 1 832, in as vigorous a state of 

 health as any in the garden. 



Wliiv-grafting in the French 

 manner. — The French propa- 

 gators never pare more off the 

 stock, whatever its size may 

 be, than exactly the width of 

 the scion. 



Shoulder or chink grafting 

 will readily be understood by 

 the annexed figs. 107, 108. It 

 shoulder-gh afting. is best adapted for trees or 



2 u 



Figs. 107. 



FRENCH AND ENGLISH 



