The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-07-06

grating as in budding, is most i'm
portant item in the work, and while
strips of bast mating are most com
monty used, we cannot too highly
recommend the employment of
strong muslin, dipped in equal parts
of melted tallow and beeswax.*
Where these waxed strips are not
used however, land sometimes In large
stocks even where they are.) grating
clay must be employed. There are
several ways of preparing it; one is
to beat up well together three parts
OF stiff yellow or blue clay, or clayey
loan, with one part OF horse dung,
and a little chopped hay; another,
that chiefly used by the French and
Dutch, is to mix one half fresh cow
dung with one halt fresh loan.
But whether waxed strips or bast
mating and grating clay are used;
every part OF the wounds OF stock
and scion must be well and thorough
ly covered, as the whole end and
purpose of both clay and strips is to
prevent air, rain and light from pen
trating to the wounded parts.
The French method of grating
differs from ours, which is copied
from the English, inasmuch as, no
matter how large the stock may be,
they never cut off more than the
width of the scion; and as their ma
tion excells the English as gardeners,
it would, we think, be well to take
the hint thus thrown out. A true
born Johnny Bull scorns to accept
lesson from the despised and hated
Johnny Crapaud, but not SO his old
time friend and ally, Uncle Sam; so,
let us, Uncle Sans children, take
heed and profit. And, in point of
fact, it would seem useless as well as
hurttul to intlict larger wound than
necessary upon the stock, thus giving
it more work to do to heal over its
cuts, just at the time when its tull
energies are needed, in the proper
sustenance of it's foster child; and
therefore we wouId advise the adop-
ton OF the French method, and the
cutting away OF the major part of the
stock after the graft has taken firm
hold, not before.
Cleft grating is next in order.
Here the head of the branch or
stock is cut off obliquely and then
the sloped part cut horizontally to its
middle; then, with a strong knife or
chisel, which latter is best, a cleft
two inches deep is made in tn e
crown, downwards, at right angles
to the sioped part Be very careful
here not to injure the pith, or yours
is cloves labor lost"
Leave the knife or chisel placed
horizontally in the base of the cleft
to keep it open, and take up your
scion; now, with sharp knife shape
it's extremity for an inch and half
in the shape OF wedge, leaving it
about an eight Of an inch thicker on
the outer or bark side, and bringing
it to a finer edge on the inner side
and now you are all ready to slip
YOUR scion down into the cleft as
deep as the wedge you have cut
one and a halt inches,-7this done,
with the thicker or bark edge
placed carefully even with the inner
bark of the stock, draw out your
knife from the cleft below it, and you
will be surprised to see how closely
and firmly the scion is held. Two or
three scions may be inserted in this
way into the same stock, in separate
clefts, the whole being tightly
wrapped and closed up.
"Crown" grating is employed
chiefly on thick stocks, long branches
shortened, or headed down trees,
and as many as a dozen scions may
be used if desired.
a. First, you saw off the head of stock
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