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


ding and grating; the material re-
ouired being identical the oniya dit
ference being in the mode Of applica
ton OF the former.
Having already investigated the
mysteries Of the more popular art Of
budding, let us next "interview" that
which may well be termed its "eldel
brother"
Far, far back in the olden times
the theory and practice OF grating
or multiplying and perpetuatine
remarkable varieties or monstrosltles
by the union Of a young shoot from
one kind of plant with the stem Of
another, was almost as well under
stood as at the present day 1t is not
an art which admits of much pro-
gress or alteration; there is but one
means of securing success, and, there
fore, as we graft nowadays, so did
the ancient Greeks and Jews and
Chinese before us. The New Tesla
ment refers to the art as practised by
the Jews; Pliny and Virgil tell US
that it was familiar to the Greeks,
but nowhere can we trace. the first
discovery Of what, though so COM
mon. is one of the most wonderful
phenomena of Nature. AS to the
Chinese, the first Roman Catholic
missionaries who ventured TO pene-
trate the then mysterious Businesses
of heathenism, taught them the art
and so readily did they take up the
new idea thus presented to them,
that very soon they excelled their
teachers, just as, at the present day,
they surpass all other nations in the
practice OF curious and unique modes
of grating shoot upon shoot, stem
upon stem, until oftimes, six or eight,
ten or twelve kinds of fruit lot the
same natural family OF course) may
be seen borne upon the same tree all
Aourishing, all strong and healthful.
There is no one function Of the hor
ticulturist more important than this;
it accomplishes the propagation OF
particular varieties more surely and
more speedily than is possible by
seed or cutting or layers, and besides
his, is invaluable in fastening and
the truitfulness of fruit
trees. Another thing, too, when a
root is still vigorous and healthy, but
is stem and branches old and weak,
l graft or bud near, or upon the
thrifty root, will in very short time
replace the worn out branches with
new, strong, healthy growth, into
which all the strength of the large
root is thrown at once. The stock
should always have strong roots
about the graft or scion, it does not
matter so much, though of course it is
desirable that it also should be. of Wig
orous habit, but, lift is not healthy
stock will impart to weak, but not
diseased, scion, a large portion of its
own thrift and vigor. Grating
should always be performed early in
the spring, when the sap is just be-
ginning to circulate; the gratis may
be either shoots of the current years
growth, or those OF several years
back, and herein is one OF the most
marked differences between grating
and budding, tor with the latter the
scion must invariably be OF the cur
rent seasons growth, containing an
embryo bud.
The stock does not change The
species Of the scion, but it does very
much affect the quality Of the fruit
A weakly stock will make small anC
insipid, a vigorous one large and fn'
favored fruit.
The great art in grating and i
requires no small degree of skill an,
care and patience, is to unite exactl,
the inner bark Of the scion with tn,
inner bark OF the stock, and thu
to keep them in close contact unit
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