The art of grafting and budding (1879)

THE ART OF individual character and constitution distinct: their layers of wood and bark continue to be developed without the fibres and vessels of one converging with those of the other.It is, as it were, a federative union which leaves to the interested | we etch wae GRAFTING AND BUDDING.3 plant, or rather fragment of plant, grafted on another preserves its original qualities and characteristic properties.It will produce branches close or spreading, leaves purple or silvery, flowers white or rose-coloured, fruit large or small, early or | late, exactly resembling the variety from which it was taken, and without being influenced by the neighbourhood of, or contact with, several similar kinds grouped on the same stock.We could also quote imstances of plants which, when grafted, grow more vigorously than when on their own roots.Whenit is considered that grafting is easy to be practised, that it involves only a trifling degree of bodily exertion, and developes a love for gardening, it will be allowed that it is both a useful -and an agreeable operation. CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS.In grafting, a great deal of the success depends on the skill of the operator.The other conditions essential to success are afiinity between the species, vigour of the stock and graft, the condition of their sap, their intimate union, the season, and | temperature.Affinity between Syecies.The laws of the affinities of species are almost unknown.| "The observations hitherto made have been undertaken in a , THE ART OF erafted on the horse-chestnut, which belongs to another family.The medlar and the quince, which have solitary flowers, flourish on the hawthorn, whose flowers are in corymbs.The Chionanthus, so nearly allied to the lilac by its panicled flowers and simple leaves, only succeeds well on the common ash and on the flowering ash, which have compound leaves.On. the other hand, the Sorbus, with.° pinnate leaves, is more vigorous when grafted on the thorn, (whose leaves are more entire) than it is when grown on its own roots.The grafting of evergreen trees on deciduous kinds presents more than one singularity.The Photinia, allied to the beam-tree, and the Eriobotrya, allied to the medlar, are grafted on the medlar, and not on the hawthorn.On the last,as a stock, the Cotoneaster and the Pyracantha do well.The Mahonia flourishes on the Berberis, and the common laurel succeeds on the bird-cherry and even on the wild cherry, from which it differs so much in appearance.The grafting of deciduous plants on those that are everereen has, in almost every case, been attempted in vain.Those who are fond of oddities can, with the assistance of erafting, have on the same thorn stock at the same time fruiting branches of the pear, the medlar, the beam-tree, the service-tree, the mountain-ash, the European and Japanese quince, and also see there the flowers of the double and red thorns, the Cotoneaster, and the Pyracantha.They may gather from the same plum stock plums, apricots, peaches, nectarines, almonds, the corymbs of the Canadian cherry, and flower garlands of the Chinese and Japanese plum.But these whimsicalities are unworthy the attention of cultivators.Whoever wishes to study grafting in the works of celebratedancient authors on horticulture will find a string of absurdities, | bruised or torn tissues, and for smoothing down a cut, so that it may present a level surface, without mequalities, bruises, or splinters.In order to smooth properly, the hand which holds.~ the handle of the tool should have the thumb supported fe a GRAFTING AND BUDDING.II acainst the branch or stem, while the other hand directs the blade.In the case of a stock of moderate thickness, the shortening of the stem is effected by means of the pruningknife; without having recourse to the saw.'The pruning-knife a oleae SS ee ES CREE PEPE SS FR om 778 ry Gigi EN oe on wae eS ane oe ee en ee en w-=5 English Pruning-Knife (straight-bladed form).is also employed for cutting up the scions into suitable lengths.ff it is preferred to employ a pruning-knife, in cutting and dressing them finally it will be advisable to have in reserve another finer-edged one, and keep the first for heading down, cutting off old stems, and such rough work.Grafters who use the pruning-knife for every operation of grattmg should choose a blade not much curved, which will be found very handy when it is required to split the stock.The pruningknife is also used, after grafting, in shortening those stocks which have not been previously cut, and also for removing the | heel of the graft after a year's growth.The handle is held _ with both hands, and thus the heel is cut off with greater ease.| This implement is also useful in trimming thorny trees.The Budding-Knife.The budding-knife is a tool with a narrow blade, widening French Budding-Knife (Greffoir)._ towards the end, and with the point curving backwards.At _ the end of the handle is a spatula, or small thin blade of | ivory, which is used for raising the bark.This spatula should 12 THE ART OF not be made ot metal, as that would soon be rusted by the sap.The budding knife is indispensable for bud-grafting, for cutting the scions in branch-grafting, for raising the bark, for English Budding-Knife.grafting under glass, or cutting ligatures when too tight for the graft, &.The Grafting-Knife.The handle of this implement is slightly curved, in order to facilitate grafting near the surface of the ground; the blade, in form of a comma or drop, is useful for splitting stocks intended for cleft-grafting when a partial cleft is required.A cleft from side to side is obtained by means of a knife with a Grafting-Knife.straight blade, like a table-knife in shape.The handle and back of such a knife should be strong enough to support the blows of the mallet, which the operator is sometimes obliged to use in cleaving very thick or hard-wooded stocks.The Grafting-Chisel.The grafting-chisel has the blade and the handle all in one piece, iron and steel.It has every advantage of solidity and resistance when it is required to cleave strong stems, either with or without the help of the mallet.When the cleft is made, we can, by half withdrawing the chisel, use it as a lever or wedge to keep the cleft partially open, and facilitate the : a = GRAFTING AND BUDDING.13Combined Grafter.M. Auguste Riviére, head gardener at the Luxembourg, Paris, is the inventor of this implement, the special use T4, THE ART OF of which is in grafting by inlaying, which will be alluded to further on.The blade has a double purpose: the gouge (B) at the upper end is angular, so as to produce in the stock a wedge-shaped incision.At the bottom of the blade is -a similar angular gouge (C), with which the scion is cut into a 'triangular wedge, which will fit perfectly into the incision made Combined Grafter.'In the stock, as the two gouges (B and C) are made with the same angle.That at C may be turned the other way, so as to suit a left-handed workman.Between these two parts, the blade is sharp-edged at A, and serves for cutting the scion from its parent-tree, or for smoothing the angles, if they have been 'imperfectly cut by the gouge at C. The Meétro-Greffe.This tool is composed of a double spatula, which is fitted into the handle of an ordinary erafting-knife.lisThe Métro-Grefie.use is to measure the scion and stock, so as to make them fit exactly in those modes of grafting in which the two parts are placed in juxtaposition by simple veneering.The handle | (D) bears at one end the blade of the grafting-knife which cuts the scion; and at the other end the double spatula, the two : .GRAFTING AND BUDDING.15 parts of which (A and B) are jomed bya screw (C).The _ métro-greffe answers the purpose of a pair of compasses for | measuring the back of the bevel of the graft, and then tracing | on the stock a corresponding width for the groove which is to | receive it.All these tools are not indispensable in the practice of | grafting; but they have each a special use.The last three are | intended to facilitate nice and complicated operations in | gratting.:KEEPING THE TOOLS.| They should always be in a serviceable and clean condition.In the course of repeated operations, especially when the sap is flowing freely, it thickens and accumulates on the blade of the tool.It should be constantly removed by the application of water _ormoist earth.The dirt interferes with the proper manage-| ment of the tool, and injures the internal layers of the bark _ and wood which come into contact with the blade.Frequent sharpening of the cutting implements should not be | neglected, as wounds heal much more readily when the cuts _are clean.When the tool gets blunt, it should be ground _ down on a grindstone, and afterwards rubbed on a finer stone, to remove the wire-edge.In long-continued operations the _ tool should be rubbed on the fine stone frequently during the day.The Turkey, or any other fine-grained stone, is the best for sharpening pruning-knives.The slate-stone is suitable for the grafting-knife and the sécateur..There is also the fine _ Stone used for razors and penknives; on this, with a drop or _two of oil, fine blades for delicate operations are sharpened.| In nurseries, after passing the tools over the stone, they are stropped on the leather of the boot or shoe, or on the palm ot the hand.The mode of sharpening depends on the skill or _ the practice of the operator.The object should be to sharpen the cutting parts without weakening them; otherwise, in