August  23,  nOO. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
KVJ 
•of  the  ascending  sap.  No.  2  is  practised  at  a  more  advanced 
■period,  generally  after  disbudding  is  completed.  We  use  it  as  a 
preliminary  step  to  the  total  removal  of  superfluous  sprays.  No.  3  is 
a  consequence  involved  in  No.  2  procedure.  It  may  be  taken  as  a 
maxim,  that  as  the  branches  are  in  point  of  rapid  development,  so 
the  root-action  is,  or  soon  will  be.  There  are,  of  course,  some  trifling 
exceptions  to  this,  but  such  will  in  general  be  found  the  true  bearing 
of  the  question.  Of  course,  where  trees  are  already  too  weak,  such 
an  operation  would  he  folly  ;  trees  of  this  character,  however,  seldom 
produce  too  many  shoots.  No.  4,  that  the  stopping  of  fruit-bearing 
shoots  at  a  certain  period  has  a  tendency  to  concentrate  the  fruitful 
energies  of  the  tree  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fruit,  few  will  doubt.  It  is 
on  this  principle  that  the  Vine-dresser  proceeds,  and  he  has  not  only 
the  present  in  his  eye,  but  the  perfect  maturation  of  those  buds  on 
which  the  future  year’s  crop  depends.  In  like  manner,  as  steady 
.growth,  or  one  of  an  almost  stationary  character,  tends  to  concen¬ 
tration,  so  a  rapid  growth  tends  to  dispersion — such  dispersion  and 
•concentration  having  a  close  hearing  on  the  returning  or  elaborated 
sap.  Thus  if  the  problem  were  in  a  Vine,  how  to  grow  a  thick  stem 
in  a  short  period,  every  shoot  should  be  trained  in  during  the  growing 
season  ;  but  if  the  finest  fruit  and  a  fruitful  habit  for  the  next  year, 
vice  versa.  No.  5.  Eipening  the  wood  is,  it  may  be  considered,  a 
consequence  of  p  oceeding  No.  4,  and  is  an  all-important  affair  ;  indeed, 
so  much  so  in  cur  estimation,  that  at  the  risk  of  being  tedious,  we 
jhave  thus  again  gone  over  the  old  ground  of  stopping. 
This  is  the  exact  time  to  urge  that  the  fast  effort  to  secure  a 
thorough  ripening  of  the  wood  of  fruit  trees  shall  be  made;  it  is  now 
the  eleventh  hour  as  to  man’s  interference.  The  question  of  covering 
and  non-covering;  to  do  this,  and  let  alone  that,  all  sink  into  com¬ 
parative  insignificance  beside  the  great  question  of  wood  ripening. 
The  neglect  of  this  is  productive  of  a  variety  of  anomalies — hence  bad 
setting,  casting  blossoms,  a  double  amount  of  susceptibility  to  the  late 
spring  frosts,  defects  in  the  sexual  character  of  the  Vdossoms,  imperfect 
development,  premature  casting  of  blossom,  and  such  like.  Such  form 
a  portion  of  the  catalogue  of  evils  which  each  returning  spring  presents ; 
a  pretty  bill  of  fare  truly,  and  mostly,  I  may  add,  “  standing  dishes.” 
1  do  not  pretend  to  say  that  a  timely  attention  to  stopping, 
and  thinning  will  alone  produce  a  perfect  condition  of  wood,  although 
a  most  powerful  auxiliary.  A  proper  condition  of  root  culture  must 
be  carried  out  in  connection  with  it ;  above  all,  avoiding  very  deep 
soils.  Where  soils  are  both  deep  and  damp  it  scarcely  matters  what 
the  system  pursued  is  with  regard  to  pruning  and  training;  after  all 
the  pains  possible,  the  production  of  fruit  wdl  always  be  on  a  precarious 
footing,  if,  indeed,  a  crop  can  ever  be  produced. 
Let  me  now  call  special  attention  to  the  last  stopping  of  this  year  ; 
one  which  will  combine  the  results  to  be  expected  from  Nos.  2, 4,  5,  in 
particular,  and  which,  indeed,  will  tend  in  no  small  degree  to  a  further 
equalisation  of  the  sap  in  some  trees,  productive  of  symmetrical  trees, 
and  by  consequence  an  equal  and  uniform  distribution  of  the  fruit. 
The  Peach  and  the  Nectarine  may  come  in  for  the  first  operation,  and 
the  sooner  the  better.  Our  practice  is  to  pinch  the  point  from  every 
strong-growing  shoot  all  over  the  tree,  taking  care,  however,  to  leave 
unmolested  every  shoot  below  the  proper  medium.  On  the  last  point 
I  lav  particular  stress,  and  the  reasons  for,  and  utility  of  the  proceeding, 
will  surely  be  manifest  on  the  least  consideration.  No  sooner  are  the 
stronger  shoots  stopjied,  say  about  the  middle  of  August  (and  these 
will  in  general  comprise  two-thirds  of  the  spray),  than  the  influx  of 
sap  has  a  tendency  into  the  wea'^er  shoots,  and  these  enjoy  this 
advantage  for  at  least  three  weeks  longer;  this  tends  to  feed  their 
hitherto  half-supported  buds,  and  to  give  them  an  impulse,  in  the 
succeeding  spring,  of  eminent  service  in  opposing  any  blight,  and,  as 
observed,  of  equalising  strength.  The  fruit,  moreover,  will  be  larger 
and  better  flavoured,  and  the  wood  on  such  snoots  will  be  far  better 
ripened,  because  ripened  earlier.  Let  anyone  observe,  at  winter- 
pruning  time,  the  difference  in  texture  between  shoots  of  this  kind 
and  those  which  have  continued  growing  some  three  weeks  or  a 
month  later  ;  the  pruning  knife  is  a  good  criterion  of  ripeness  in 
>the  wood. 
Pears  I  would  operate  on  next,  and  in  a  similar  way  ;  also  the 
Apricots.  As  for  Plums,  Cherries,  and  such  like  hardy  fruits,  they 
require  im  ch  less  assistance  this  way.  Stopping  alone  is  not  all  that 
remains  to  be  done,  as  to  the  ripening  of  the  wood.  Thinning-out 
or  shortening  back  any  superfluous  shoots  which  may  have  been 
missed  at  former  operations  must  be  attended  to  ;  indeed,  the  maxim 
must  be  to  admit  sunlight  to  all  the  embryo  fruit  buds  as  far  as  possible, 
for  this  is  the  period  in  which  their  formation  is  a'ffually  completed  ; 
they  are,  in  fact,  in  a  position  somewhat  analogous  to  seeds  or  grain 
three  parts  ripe. 
Let  Peach-growers  remember,  also,  to  remove  the  leaves  from 
before  their  ripening  fruit  about  a  fortnight  before  they  are  ripe, 
pulling  some  entirely  away,  and  pinching  others  half  away.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  them  that  fine  colour  tor  which  a  fine  Peach  is  so 
much  admired  without  attention  to  this. — R.  E. 
On  Grafting. 
“  You  see,  sweet  maid,  we  marry 
A  gentler  scion  to  the  wilder  stock, 
And  make  conceive  a  bark  of  baser  kind 
Bv  bud  of  nobler  race  :  this  is  an  art 
Which  does  mend  nature,  change  it  rather  ;  but 
The  art  is  nature.” 
By  the  above  quotation  from  “  The  Winter’s  Tale,”  it  would 
appear  that  Shakespeare  (whose  profound  knowledge  of  human  life 
in  all  ils  phases  has  been,  and  will  long  continue  to  be,  the  wonder 
and  admiration  of  succeeding  generations  of  mankind),  was  by  no 
means  ignorant  of  the  art  of  grafting.  It  is  even  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  he  would  hardly  have  written  the  above  lines  had  he 
not  practised  this  art  himself,  or,  at  least,  been  thoroughly  conversant 
with,  and  fully  aware  of,  the  desired  objects  for  which  the  operation  is 
usually  performed.  This  art  would,  indeed,  appear  to  be  of  the 
greatest  antiquity,  and  the  date  of  its  discovery,  like  the  name  of  its 
earliest  practitioner,  is  hidden  in  the  mists  of  countlc'^s  ages.  The 
practice  is  alluded  to  in  Holy  Writ,  and  Pliny  and  other  ancient 
writers  have  also  referred  to  the  subject.  In  some  of  their  writings 
fabulous  descriptions  are  given  of  extraordinary  fruit  trees  so  grafted 
as  to  produce  sundrv  and  very  dissimilar  kinds  of  fruit,  such  as  Apples, 
Plums,  Figs,  Grapes,  &c.,  upon  the  same  tree;  but  it  will  readily  be 
supposed  that  if  any  such  trees  ever  existed,  they  must  have  been 
produced  by  similar  means  to  that  said  to  be  sometimes  resorted  to 
on  the  Continent  at  the  present  day,  where  trees  are  occasionally 
produced  and  offered  for  sale,  on  which  appear  to  be  growing  the 
Orange,  the  M\ rtle,  the  Pomegranate,  &c.,  all  upon  one  stem.  ^  All 
this,  however,  as  may  be  supposed,  is  merely  a  deception,  accomplished 
by  boring  out  the  centre  of  the  stem  of  the  largest  variety  used,  and 
drawing  the  smaller  stems  of  the  other  sorts  through  the  hollow  tube 
thus  formed,  each  individual  plant  retaining  its  roots,  and  in  this 
state  a  struggling  existence  is  supported  for  a  time.  By  the  adoption 
of  similar  means  the  Strawberry  plant  has  been  represented  as  growing 
from  the  stem  of  a  Rose  tree.  This,  too,  is  accomplished  hy  taking 
the  runner  through  the  Rose  stem  which  had  previously  been  hollowed 
out  for  the  purpose,  while  the  roots  occupy  the  same  soil  as  that  in 
which  the  Rose  tree  is  growing. 
It  may,  I  think,  be  reasonable  to  suppose  it  possible  that  nature 
or  accident  may  have  first  suggested  the  practice  of  grafting,  as 
instances  are  frequently  to  be  met  with  in  woods  and  thickets  where 
branches  of  trees  happen  to  cross  and  prqss  upon  each  other;  and  the 
friction  caused  by  the  action  of  the  wind  in  time  displaces  the  hark, 
and  as  the  branches  increase  in  strength  this  friction  is  resisted^  and  the 
pressure  increased  until  the  result  is  a  permanent  and  organic  union. 
This  may  be  considered  as  grafting  by  approach,  a  practice  which 
cultivators  have  imitated  in  the  method  known  as  inarching. 
In  all  methods  of  grafting  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that 
similar  parts  should  be  placed  as  much  as  possible  in  contact  with 
each  other,  and  on  this  account  the  method  known  as  saddle-grafting 
mav  he  considered  amongst  the  best,  as  presenting  the  largest  possible 
surface  to  receive  the  ascending  fluid  or  sap.  In  performing  the 
operation  the  stock  must  be  cut  into  the  form  of  a  sharp  inverted 
wedoe;  the  scion  split  up  the  middle,  and  its  sides  pared  down  until 
it  exactly  fits  the  stock.  By  this  method  the  leading  shoots  of 
Conifers  and  other  trees  can  be  grafted  with  great  facility,  performing 
the  operation  while  the  wood  is  only  partially  ripened,  and  this  will 
usually  be  found  to  be  the  case  about  the  middle  of  August.  Wh^- 
grafting  is  probably  the  commonest  method  of  grafting,  and  that  hy 
which  fruit  trees,  such  as  Apples,  Pears,  &c.,  are  usually  increased. 
Crown-grafting  is  usually  resorted  to  in  the  case  of  aged  trees,  when 
it  becomes  desirable  to  change  the  variety.  Cleft-grafting  is  performed 
by  cutting  the  stock  horizontally  across,  and  making  a  vertical  cut  to 
the  depth'^of  2  or  3  inches  and  introducing  a  wedge  to  keep  the  cleft  open 
unt  1  the  scion  is  fitted  in,  when  the  wedge  must  be  withdrawn,  a 
bandage  applied,  and  the  parts  covered  with  clay  or  grafting- wax. 
Side-grafting  is  practised  in  cases  where  it  is  not  expedient  to  head- 
down  the  stock,  but  where  it  is  desirable  to  keen  up  or  to  restore  the 
regularity  of  the  branches  or  fruit  spurs.  Shield-grafting  or  budding 
is  so  universally  understood  and  practised  that  to  attempt  to  minutely 
describe  the  operation  would  be  a  waste  of  time.  By  this  method 
many  sorts  of  fruit  trees,  Roses,  &c ,  are  increased,  and  it  may  be 
successfully  practise  I  from  the  beginning  of  July  until  the  end  ot 
^^^Inarching,  or  grafting  by  approach,  has  already  been  alluded 
to  as  having  accidentally  suggested  the  science  of  grafting.  W  hen 
It  is  practicable,  it  is  justly  considered  as  the  most  certain 
method  of  grafting,  as  it  is  not  necessary  to  sever  the  scion  from 
its  parent,  from  which  it  continues  to  draw  its  support,  until  i 
can  be  ascertained  that  a  union  has  taken  place  with  the  stock. 
Inarching  is  very  easily  performed,  by  merely  paring  away  a  portion 
of  the  scion  down  to  the  alburnum  or  wood,  and  making  a  corre- 
^pondincT  wound  upon  the  stock  ;  fit  the  cut  surfaces  accurately,  and 
