FAMILIAR LESSONS ON PRACTICAL GARDENING. 
417 
cates the position of the cuts, b the shoot 
after being cut ; the part c, it will be under- 
stood, is cut away alto- 
gether. Tough-stemmed 
plants are often not cut 
at all, but the leaves are 
stripped off, and the stem 
merely twisted a little at 
the part which is to be 
buried, and then pegged 
down as in the other 
case. The growing season 
is generally the best for 
layering, 
Dicision of the plant. — This is the mode of 
increasing all perennial plants with fibrous 
roots ; tap-rooted plants do not in general ad- 
mit of being propagated by this process. The 
plants should be taken up, the soil being shaken 
out from among their roots, and then separated 
into as many pieces as there are crowns of 
leaves (or into as many pieces as may be 
wanted), some share of the roots being re- 
tained to each division. The pieces are then 
planted as separate plants. It is in most 
cases an exceedingly simple and easily-per- 
formed operation. 
Grafting. — This operation consists in re- 
moving a twig of one plant and fixing it on 
another, so that by the union of the two a new 
compound individual is formed. The twig is 
called a graft, or scion, and the plant it is fixed 
upon is called a stock ; the operation is called 
grafting. It is a very useful art ; for valuable, 
and delicate, and choice plants can thus be 
attached to more easily grown and commoner 
roots ; and if the root or stock is properly 
adapted to the soil, the operation has much 
influence over the productiveness of fruit 
trees. Grafting is chiefly practised with fruit 
trees, especially the apple and pear. 
There are many methods of grafting ; but 
the most useful and simple is that here de- 
scribed, called whip or tongue-grafting, which 
is suitable either for young stocks, or for 
young branches on old stocks. The head of 
the young stock (from one to two inches dia- 
meter) is to be cut oflT, either an inch or two, 
or, to form a standard tree, at four or five 
feet above the ground surface ; the former, 
however, is preferable, both for dwarfs and 
standards. The top of the stock is to be 
cut ofi^ with an oblique incision two or three 
inches long, the cut being made with a very 
keen, smooth-edged knife ; the bottom of the 
graft is to be cut as nearly as possible to the 
same slope, and the top of the cut stock re- 
moved with a horizontal cut. A slit is then 
made downwards, about the centre of the 
sloping face of the stock (a), and a similar cut 
is made upwards in the sloping face of the 
scion or graft (b). The tongue (b) is then 
50. 
inserted into the slit (a), the use of the tongue 
being to hold the parts firmly together. The 
graft must be put so that its inner bark is 
placed in contact with the inner bark of the 
stock on one side ; it cannot fit on both sides 
unless the stock and graft are exactly of the 
same size, which is seldom or never the case ; 
but if one side is made to fit in this way, it 
will be sufficient. The graft must next be 
tied on ; bass matting, soaked in water (used 
wet), is a good material for tying ; a piece of 
sufficient length, and at least half an inch 
wide, must be taken, and the middle of this 
placed over the bottom of the graft, crossed 
behind, and again brought forward and crossed 
a little upwards; this is repeated until the 
whole is bound over fii-mly and closely, and is 
finished by tying a half-knot behind the stock. 
This is then rubbed well with a little grafting 
clay, taken on the forefinger, so as to fill up 
all the interstices of the tie ; and the whole is 
then enveloped in an oval or egg-shaped mass 
of grafting clay, which should cover some 
distance beyond both the top and bottom of 
the point of junction. The sketch (d) repre- 
sents this, a portion of the mass being supposed 
to be removed at e, to show where and how 
the junction of the stock and graft occurs. 
This mass of clay requires to be carefully closed 
around the graft and stock, at its upper and 
lower end ; and if it cracks, as it will some- 
times do in dry weather, a little fresh clay 
must be rubbed into the cracks, so as to make 
it air-tight. It is sometimes desirable to graft 
the stock as low as possible, so as to admit of 
drawing up the earth on each side, after the 
operation, so as to cover the ball of clay, in 
order to keep it moist and to prevent its crack- 
ing. The clay may be removed, as well as the 
tie, when a little growth has been made ; but 
it is well to make a loose tie, to keep the graft 
steady. 
The commencement of the growing season 
is the proper time for grafting— when the sap 
is rising in the stock. The grafts should always 
be taken off a month or so before grafting time, 
and kept with their lower end in damp soil, in 
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