374 



inii PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



[Mar. 



stock, as in cleft-grafting. This is a very strong and handsome 

 mode of grafting for standard trees, grafted at the standard 

 lieight, as it makes a good finish, covering a part of the stock, 

 which in other methods long remains a black scar, and seldom 

 or never becomes covered with bark. The stocks for this pur- 

 pose should never be much thicker than the scions. In some 

 cases, two scions may be inserted, and the stock by that 

 means will sooner be covered. There are two other varieties 

 of saddle-grafting described by Mr. Knight, neither of which 

 differs from this in the end which is to be obtained ; although 

 they are in themselves curious, and their rationale described 

 by that eminent horticulturist in his usual masterly manner. 



Peg-grafting is an old method, in which the stock being 

 cut off horizontally, a hole is bored in the centre of it, and 

 the scion being selected to fit the stock ; within an inch and a 

 half of its lower end, a circular incision is made, and the part 

 between that and the end reduced so as to fit the hole in the 

 stock. This peg filling the hole is supposed to secure the 

 graft from the effects of winds. It is now seldom practised. 

 Besides these modes described, there are many others. The late 

 Professor Thouin enumerates above forty methods of grafting, 

 besides a great many modes of budding and inarching ; and 

 M. Louis Noisette has published a description of one hundred 

 and thirty-seven modes. These are, however, only varieties 

 of the more common ones, and their shades of difference are 

 so slight, or remotely connected with utility, that they do not 

 appear to attract the attention of any but the cuiious, and are 

 not likely ever to come into common practice. 



Cleft, or crown-grafting, is the method generally adopted 

 by those, who by this plan renovate old trees, or \v\\o, for fancy 

 and amusement, engraft many different varieties on the same 

 tree. If it be intended to renovate a tree, all the branches 

 should be headed and grafted; whether it have been fan 

 or horizontally trained. They should not be all cut to equal 

 lengths, but to different ones, that the new wood may issue, 

 nor all at one part, in a crowded manner, but at various 

 heights, in order that room may be given to train it properly. 

 Two, three, or four grafts should be put on each branch, ac- 

 cording to its size, so that if two or three fail, the taking of 



