APP 
APP 
parts of the tree, and the pruning will 
then also be upon the spurring method. 
. The Propagation of Apples is usually 
effected by grafting the desired kind 
upon a “ stock / 5 or seedling plant of the 
required size and proportionate vigour 
to the sort it is intended to bear. Of 
the raising of stocks we shall have occa¬ 
sion to speak more fully presently. 
Stocks destined to form standard trees 
should, at the time of grafting, be nearly 
or quite as high as they are desired to 
be when arrived at maturity; the stem 
should be clean, straight, and devoid of 
blemish; of course it should be healthy, 
or the consequence will be the loss of 
the scion, and by varying the height of 
the graft the future tree will be either a 
standard or dwarf, at the pleasure of the 
operator; sometimes, indeed, full stand¬ 
ards are grafted near to the ground, but 
the practice incurs the loss of two years, 
during which the scion has to grow to 
the required height, and no particular 
advantage is gained, so that it is better 
to place them where the head is desired, 
and then every subsequent branch is so 
much added to the size of the plant, and 
its fruiting consequently forwarded. The 
operation should be performed between 
the beginning "and middle of March; 
having ready some well-worked clay of a 
holding nature, which is assisted by mix¬ 
ing a portion of chopped hay along with 
if, and some strong bast strings. The 
operator begins by taking off the head of 
the stock at the place he desires to in¬ 
sert the graft; the cut should be a 
slanting one, and at its lower edge a ta¬ 
pering notch should be cut out com¬ 
pletely through the bark, and so far into 
the wood as will give it capacity to re¬ 
ceive the scion when cut wedge-like, that 
the edges of the bark of both scion and 
stock may meet evenly and touch at every 
part; this is called crown grafting, and 
is generally adopted when the graft is 
considerably smaller than the stock; the 
peculiar wedge-form of both the base of 
the graft and the notch in the stock is 
adapted by pressing the former more or 
less downwards, to bring all the parts 
together in the close contact necessary, 
and on which the whole art of grafting 
depends : when the union is thus far 
made the pieces should be tied firmly 
together and the point of junction co¬ 
vered with a thick layer of clay, to 
exclude air or other atmospheric influ¬ 
ences : another method, called whip¬ 
grafting, is excellent when the parts to 
be joined are nearly of a size, the stock 
in this case is cut more longitudinally, 
extending from two to three inches, ac¬ 
cording to its substance; the graft is 
then prepared by cutting it in precisely 
the same manner, the face of each cut 
being made to correspond exactly with 
the other, and about the middle of the 
superfice thus made an incision of 
about half an inch may be made by en¬ 
tering the knife in the stock downwards, 
and in the graft upwards, leaving what 
is called a tongue on each; these tongues, 
by fitting into each other, assists the 
union by holding the scion more firmly 
in its place till, like the previously men¬ 
tioned, it is tied and covered with the 
clay. 
There are other modes, varying in 
some slight degree from each other, 
which peculiar circumstances may some¬ 
times render necessary, though the prin¬ 
ciples of all are alike; and that method 
which presents the greatest surface at 
the point of union, and having a regard 
to the neatness of the finished operation, 
must be considered the best. The suc¬ 
cess of the operation depends upon quick 
manipulation, that the juices may not be 
dried up, and a perfect fit between the 
severed portions. In the following May 
or June, when the grafts have begun to 
grow, it will be necessary to remove the 
clay and examine the binding, as in all 
probability the latter will require loosen¬ 
ing to allow the free expansion of the 
growing parts of the scion; if it is firmly 
joined to the stock a fresh tie of bast 
will be all that is wanted; but if, on the 
contrary, it is at all loose, or not tho¬ 
roughly united, the clay must also be 
returned till the graft is complete, which 
will certainly be the case by the end of 
August; when, to guard against the au¬ 
tumnal winds, the new shoots should be 
tied fast to a stake, or they are liable to 
be blown off. At the same time the 
