September i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
3'5 
great fondneBS for damp, and will rapidly absorb 
the least vestige of it from the wet leather. As it 
quickly and completely takes up the moisture, it 
swells and fills the hoot with a rightly fitting last, 
keeping its form good, and drying the leather with- 
out hardening it. In the morning, shake out the oats 
and hang them in a bag near the fire to dry, ready 
for the next wet night ; draw on the boots, and go 
happily and comfortably about the day's work. 
Mildew, To remove.— Make a very weak solution 
of chloride of lime in water (about a teaspoonful to 
a quart of water), strain it carefully and dip the 
spot on the garment into it ; and if the mildew does 
not disappear immediately, lay it in the sun for a few 
minutes, or dip it again into the lime water. The 
work is effectually and speedily done, and the chloride 
of lime neither rots the cloth nor removes delicate 
colors, when sufficiently diluted and the articles rinsed 
afterwards in clear water. 
Boots, Waterproofing, —Use a piece of paraffiue candle 
about the size (if a nut, dissolved in lard oil at 140° 
Fabr. Apply once a month. 
Rats, To catch. — Cover a common barrel with stiff 
paper, tying the edge around the barrel, Place a 
board so that Ihe rats can have easy access to the 
fop. Sprinkle chesse or other bait on the paper, 
and allow the nits to eat there unmolested for several 
days. Then place in the bottom of the barrel a 
stone 6 or 7 inches high, and pour in water until 
all the stone is covered, except for a space about 
big enough for one rat to crawl upon. Now replace 
the paper, first cutting a cross in the middle. 
The Orst rat that climbs on the barrel-top goes 
through into the water, and climbs on the stone. 
The paper -comes back to its original position and 
the second rat follows the first. Then begins a fight 
for the possession of the dry place on the stone, 
the noise of which attracts the others, who share the 
same fate. 
Leather, to water proof.— Saturate with castor oil. 
This is excellent for winter boots. 
Mice, To kill,— Sprinkle some grain near the holes, 
and throw near by a few bits of cotton saturated in 
chloroform. This has been tested, and mice have 
been found dead, two or three at a time, lying with 
their noses near the ootton. 
GRAFTING DECIDUOUS FRUIT TREES. 
(From the Australasian.) 
Although we published as lately as last year direc- 
tions for performing the operation of grafting, we 
are again under the necessity of repeating, in effect, 
the information then given, in order to comply with 
the request of several of our readers. The term graft- 
ing, as interpreted by British gardeners, has a more 
restricted application than is accorded to it by the 
French. In England the term graftingis applied only 
to the practice of affixing to a tree, tailed the stock, 
a portion of a branch of another tree, which portion 
is called the scion. English gardeners divide the 
opera 'ion of grafting into three species, viz, grafting, 
bndding, and inarching. On the continent of Europe 
no such distinction is observed ; in France all of these 
operations are represented by the general term grqffe*, 
honco, graffi par gemmes— grafting by buds, which 
wu call budding. 
^ Wo are about to sneak of grafting in its limited 
English application. The scion, then, is a cutting of 
ft tree or plant on which the scion is to bo engrafted. 
ffrajling, therefore, is the operation of plnoing and 
aflixmg together two cut portions of plants or trees 
in such position as to permit of their becoming per- 
manently united. It is important to understand that 
the union "dors not ■ \f. ml over the who!.- cut stu- 
faco of tho scion, much less over that of the stock, 
which is larger, and of which, therefore, only a por- 
tion is even covered by the scion. Wood already 
formed is incapable of further growth, and, there- 
fore, cannot unite. The true union is effected at tho 
point at which sap exudes from the stock, namely, 
between the wood and the inner bark. The new layer 
of cellular matter would he there formed were the 
tree left to grow as usual, and by the formation of 
the new layer the union of the stock and scion is 
effected. From the foregoing it will be clearly un- 
derstood that the success of the operation of graft- 
ing depends upon the accuracy of the joining. If the 
inner barks of scion and stock do not meet and fit 
closely, the circulation of the sap between the stock 
and the new head will not be maintained, in which 
event the scion will die. This principle applies to 
every description of grafiing— and there are many — 
the differences being such as are due chiefly to differ- 
ences in the sizes and ages of the stocks ; scions of 
last season's growth being used alike for all. The 
kind of grafting most commonly used for small stocks 
is whip, splice, or tongue grafting. Figure 2 is an 
illustration of a very common method of tongue-graft- 
ing, but we Shall first refer to figure 1, as affording 
an illustration of a very perfect method of applying 
the principle. If in the young stem (figure 1) the 
edge of a sharp knife be entered at a, and with one 
straight, sloping cut brought out at l>, and if the 
parts be again joined exactly, ties at c and d will 
hold them together, so that they would not he readily 
displaced. As the inner barks would exactly meet, 
the circulation of the sap would proceed as usual, and 
a union would be effected in due course. This, then, 
would afford a most perfect example of grafting — like 
parts being everywhere joined to like. But as it is 
rarely po siblo to employ scions of the same sizes as 
the stocks, except in the case of yearling stocks, 
the process of grafting has to be varied— still, however, 
keeping the principle in view of placing in close 
contact a sufficient portion of the inner harks of both 
stock and scion to maintain the circulation of the 
sap. Where the stock and scion do not differ very 
greatly in size, as in the case <i figure 2— which 
illustrates whip grafting, the whole of the inner barks 
can be brought into contact — A is the scion, n is 
the stock. Mr. Robert Thompson, whose illustra- 
tions we have produced, thus describes this example : — 
" In each a cut surface is exhibiied, showing the 
wood a a. The points at the extremities of the dotted 
lino, a and a, touch the inner barks of both stock 
and scion, whilst the points at b touch the ouler 
barks. It will be readily observed that the bark of 
the stock, because older, is thicker than that of tho 
scion ; consequently if, as ought to be the ease, equal 
surfaces of wood are exposed, the cut surface of the 
scion would not completely cover that of the stock, 
nor would this ever be the case except when the 
barks of both stock and scion are of equal thickness. 
In proceeding to operate cut the top of the stock iu 
a sloping direction from r towards d, terminating, if 
possible, above a bud, developed or latent, as at d. 
Then take the scion and cut it sloping from above c, 
and thin towards the end at / ; next enter the knife 
at h, and cut a thin tongue upwards to c. The scion 
is now prepared. Then, proceeding to tho etock, 
enter the knife at and cut a slice upwards lo c, 
so that tho surface of the wood shall be, as nearly 
as possible, a counterpart of tho cxpo«ed surface of 
the wood of tho scion. If this should happen to bo 
the case by a single cut, so much the better, but if 
not, it should rather bo too narrow than too wide, 
for in that case a shaving > an bo taken off till the 
cut face a of tho stock equals til it of tho scion. 
Knter the knifo very little b. low e, and cut a notch 
to receivo the tongue of tho scion ; thi« notch should 
be kept op n with tho ooiut of tho knifo whilst the 
tongue of tho scion is being inserted; tho inner bark. 
