Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-02-16
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From tbs DARLINGTON IS. c. southerner.
FRUIT cULTURE--GRAFTING.

| From the Darlington iS w oouinefnot'
FRUIT cULTURE--GRAFTING.
Mr.. Editor AS the season when much
may be done towards preparing an orchard
lis at hand, have determined to give your
readers few hints upon the subject.
Experience in promology l do not claim,
but having collected all the accessible facts
upon the subject for my own information
and direction, will in few sentences, i'm
part to others, what it has cost me no little
time and attention to gain.
These hints are intended mostly for young
men, who wish to set about the planting Of
an orchard, and do not know how to begin.
By far the cheaper way would be to send
to some reliable nursery-man, for trees OF
the description which are needed, and plant
them carefully. Westbrook & MendenhalI,
of Greensborough, N G., are the most reli
able of my acquaintance, and can be fully
trusted for supplying the best plants. Pre-
vious to buying, one should send and pro.
cure from them catalogue,-which will
be sent free, upon application.
Many are indisposed to lay out the really
small sum necessary for choice trees; others
are too poor to spare even few dollars, yet
such, by small outlay of time which can
we'll be spared, may, in few years, gather
choice and profitable orchard.
The first consideration will be to procure
suitable stocks to graft upon. These may
easily be obtained from any old orchard, by
removing from the ground the young sprouts
which spring up from the roots of the old
tree. Garry those to your garden, or some
suitable enclosure, and plant them out in
rows about three feet apart, and some two
feet in the row. This planting may be made
at any time while the leaf is of, say from
October to the last of February. The reno
val had better take place as soon as possible
after the fall of the leaf, in order to ensure
a rapid growth during the next season,
which is of great Importance in forwarding
an orchard. For myself, I would prefer
the crab tree as a stock, as being very long
lived but any variety Of the apple will do
The scions for grating. should be taken
from bearing limb, Of any variety of the
apple which it is desirable to propagate -
You may take the end shoots, the lateral
shoots, and if healthy, they will make fine
strong trees. They must be gathered be-
fore the buds upon them are beginning to
burst. Last season 1 succeeded with some
in which the buds were already opening;
but as general rule they should be gather
ed just before the buds begin to swell, and
laid away in some cool place, until the
leaves on the stock begin to appear If the
stock is in full leaf, so much the better
Now is the critical time to graft. With a
sharp knife, cut off the stock about an inch
below the ground. Make clean split
downwards, an inch and half, or therea-
bouts, in length. With clean, smooth cut
shape the butt of the scion into the shape of
a wedge, and insert it neatly into the split
made in the graft. 1t is indispensable that
the bark of the scion and the bark Of the
stock. on at least one side, should fit we'll
together. However much they may vary in
diameter, the bark must be placed together,
that the sap between the wood and the bark
may flow freely from one to the other. This
is the aohole art Of grating. The dirt
may then be drawn up again, to cover the
wounded parts, and prevent the injurious
effects of the atmosphere. For reasons
which need not be stated, in an article of a
practical character like the present, it is de-
sirablc that bud should be left on that part
of the scion inserted in the cleft. Crafts
thus prepared grow off more vigorously and
rapidly.
Sometimes it is desirable to graft above
ground, and then composition must be use
ed, simply to protect the bleeding parts
from the action of the air. This is various
ly made, but that which seems most gener-
ally approved is the following: Take by
weight three parts of rosin, two of wax and
one of tallow, and melt together over slow
ire A cloth saturated with this grating
wax must be tied Immediately around the
wounded parts.
These directions for grating will apply
to all perennial, decidious plants, roses,
plums peaches, pears, nectrines, cherries,
apricots, grape.vines, and the like. Pears
generally do best when grated upon the
ounce, and the Anglers ounce is mostly
preferred. Owing to the brisk and supera-
bundant flow Of sapin the peach, grating is
more precarious than with the apple. The
peach l would always graft upon the plum.
They should be grated foot OR two above
ground, and will then escape the ravagcs of
the borcr, which does his mischief mostly
Just below the surface. There is only Que
kind of plum (called here and elsewhere
through the South the 'hog-plum'), which
should be employed. prefer it because it
is long-!ived and hardy tree, does not
throw out suckers from the roots, as the Or
diuary plum does, and brings the graft ra-
pidly into bearing. Ifthe peach is employ
ed as stock to graft upon, it had better be
one newly trausplauted, as the shock re-
ceived by the removal, prevents the super
abundant flow of sap, and is less liable to
cast of the graft,
have seen it stated that pears have been
successfully grated upon the red summer
haw. 1 have never tried the experiment,
but will test the fact this season.
The limit to which one species is suscep-
tible Of being grated successfully upon an.
other, science has never yet defined. The
pear and haw are fruits entirely dissimilar,