For what follows on grafting and budding, we are indebted to that
excellent family paper, the New World. The article was prepared for it
by J. S. Skinner, Esq., of the Post Office Department, Washington, from
an English work, which, he adds, "is not published or much known in
this country."
GRAFTING.--The process of grafting consists in taking off a shoot from
one tree, and inserting it into another, in such a manner as that both
may unite closely, and become one tree; the shoot or cutting thus
employed is called a _scion_, and the tree on which it is inserted or
grafted, a stock. The process of budding has precisely the same object
in view as that of grafting, differing from the latter process only in
the insertion of a bud, instead of a shoot or cutting, into the bark of
another tree. To execute either process with adroitness and success,
considerable practice is required. To excel in either, instructions
should be received from some competent person, who is both willing
and able to impart the necessary information. More knowledge can be
acquired in a short time in this manner than can possibly be attained
by the most attentive perusal of any treatise expressly written upon
the subject. Impressed with the difficulty of the task, many writers
have indeed asserted, that description alone must ever fail to convey
an adequate knowledge of the process; but the intelligent author of
the English Gardener has, with his usual ability, treated the subject
in so clear and comprehensive a manner that we are induced to give the
details of the process in the author's own language.
Before entering upon the subject of grafting and budding, there is
one thing which is equally applicable to both processes, and that is,
that the _stock_ ought to stand the whole summer upon the spot where
it is grafted, before that operation is performed upon it. If stocks
be planted out in the fall, the sap does not rise vigorously enough in
the spring to afford a fair chance to the growing of the graft; another
remark of equal importance is, that fruit-trees stand only _one summer_
on the spot whence they are to be removed to their final destination;
because, if they stand longer than this, they will have large and
long roots, great amputation must take place, and the trees suffer
exceedingly.
_The Time of Grafting_ is generally from the beginning of February to
the end of March,[1] beginning with the earliest sorts of trees, as
plums, cherries, and pears; and ending with the latest, as apples.
But seasons are different, and in a backward season, the season for
grafting will be backward; and in such case, the fulness and bursting
appearance of the buds of the stocks, and the mildness of the weather
must be our guides. However, it is certain that the mild weather, with
occasional showers, is the best time for grafting.
[1] In this climate, April and May are the best months.--ED. AM. AG.
_The Mode of Preparing the Scion_ comes next. Take from the tree from
which you mean to propagate, as many branches of last year's wood as
will cut into the quantity of scions that you want; but in choosing
what branches to take, let the vigor of the tree guide you, in some
measure. If it be a healthy, flourishing, and young tree, take your
branches from the outside shoots, for the upright ones at the top, or
those near the middle, are more likely to produce wood than fruit. Yet
do not take branches from the very lowest part of the tree, if you
can avoid it, as these are sure to be more puling in their nature. In
case the tree be old or weakly, then choose the most vigorous of its
last year's shoots, no matter where they grow. Keep these branches
uncut until you arrive at the season for grafting, keeping them, in
the meanwhile, buried in dry mould; and when that season arrives,
take them up and cut them into the proper lengths for grafting. The
middle part of each branch will generally be found to be the best;
but your branches may be scarce and few in number, and then make use
of every part. Each scion should have from three to six eyes on it,
but six will, in all cases, be quite enough, as there is no use in
an extraordinary length of scion; but, on the contrary, it may be
productive of much mischief, by overloading the head with young shoots
and leaves as summer advances, and thereby making it more subject to
accident from high winds or heavy rains.
_The Operation of Grafting_ is performed many ways, though none of them
differs from any of the others in the _main principle_, which is that
of bringing the under or inner bark of the scion to bear upon the same
bark of the stock. The sap of the stock flows upward toward the scion,
and it will flow on into the scion, provided it find no interruption.
Here, therefore, is the nicety--to fit those two barks so closely, the
one upon the other, that the sap shall proceed onward into the scion,
just as it would have done into the amputated branch, causing the scion
to supplant the branch. I shall only mention and illustrate two modes
of grafting, viz., _tongue-grafting_ and _cleft-grafting_. These two it
is necessary for me to speak of separately, and thoroughly to describe,
for they are not both of them applicable in all cases; the former being
used in grafting on small-sized stocks and small branches of trees, and
the latter on large stocks and large branches.
[Illustration: TONGUE-GRAFTING.--(FIG. 58.)]
_Tongue-Grafting._--Suppose you have your stock of the proper age for
grafting, you cut it off at three or four inches from the ground, and
with a very _sharp, straight, and narrow-bladed grafting-knife_, cut
a thin strip of bark and wood upward, from about two inches below
your already shortened stock. Make this cut at one pull of the knife,
inserting the edge rather horizontally, and when it has gone through
the bark and into the wood a little short of the middle, pull straight
upward, (2, _a, b_;) then at rather less than half way down this cut,
and with the blade of your knife across the cut, and downward, cut a
very _thin tongue_ of not more than three eighths of an inch long, (2,
_c_.) Proceed nearly in the same way with the bottom part of the scion;
cut first a narrow strip of wood and bark out, but not putting the
knife in horizontally, as you have done with regard to the stock, (at
2, _a_,) nor bringing it out straight to the end, to make a shoulder
or angle, as you have done at (2, _a b_;) but make a sloping cut (1,
_a b_,) of about the same length as the cut in the stock, or rather
a little less if anything; then make a tongue (1, _c_) to correspond
with that of the stock, but recollect that this must be cut _upward_
instead of _downward_; then place the scion upon the stock, inserting
the tongue of the scion into the tongue of the stock. Bring the four
edges of bark, that is, the two edges of the cut in the top of the
stock, and the two corresponding edges of the cut in the bottom of the
scion, to meet precisely; or, if the scion be, in diameter, a smaller
piece of wood than the stock, so that its two edges of bark can not
both meet those of the stock, then let only one meet, but be sure that
one meets precisely. But observe, that this can never be unless the
first cut in the stock and that in the scion (2, _a b_,) and (1, _a
b_,) be as even as a die, and performed with a knife scarcely less
sharp than a razor. Take a common pruning-knife, and attempt to make
a cut of this kind, and you will find when you come to fit the scion
on, that, squeeze them together as you may, you will, in most cases,
see light between the parts of the stock and the scion that you are
trying to join, so effectually, as that the sap shall flow out of the
one into the other, unconscious of any division at all! But I will
not suppose anybody so ungain (as it is called in Hampshire) as to go
about so nice an operation as this without being prepared with the
proper instruments for performing it; and therefore, I now suppose the
scion put on properly, and presenting the appearance as in (3, _a_.)
But this is not all; the operation is not yet complete. The two parts
thus joined must be bound closely to one another with matting, or bass,
as the gardeners call it, (4.) A single piece tied on to the stock,
will, if well done, almost insure the junction; but lest parching winds
should come and rip up all vegetation, it is usual to put on besides
the bandage of matting, a ball of well-beaten clay sprinkled over
with a little wood-ashes or the fine siftings of cinders, to cover
completely the parts grafted, that is, from an inch below them to an
inch or so above them, (5;) and, even to prevent this ball of clay from
being washed off by heavy rains, it is well to tie around it a covering
of coarse canvass, or else to earth up the whole plant as you do beans
or peas, drawing a little mound around it so as to reach nearly the top
of the clay. Mr. Harrison prepares his grafting clay in the following
manner: Take two parts of clay and one of horse-dung, free from straw,
mix them together, and beat the mass until the whole is thoroughly
incorporated, then temper it with a little water till it is reduced
to the consistence of stiff paste. This composition _never cracks_ on
drying!
_Future Treatment._--Something now remains to be said on the future
treatment of the grafted plant. In a month's time at least, you will
see whether the scion has taken; it will then be either bursting
forth into leaf or be irrecoverably dead. In this latter case, take
off immediately the canvass, clay, bandage, and dead scion, and let
the stock push forth what shoots it pleases, and recover itself. In
the former case, however, you must, as soon as the scion is putting
forth shoots, cut off, or rub off, all shoots proceeding from the stock
between the ground and the clay, as these, if suffered to push on,
would divert the sap away from the scion, and probably starve it; then
carefully stake the plant, that is, put a small stick into the ground
at within three inches, or thereabouts, of the root, and long enough to
reach a few inches above the scion, which you will tie to it slightly
with a piece of wetted matting. This is really necessary, for when the
shoots proceeding from the scion become half a foot long, they, with
the aid of their leaves, become so heavy as, when blown to and fro by
the wind, to break off immediately above the clay, or become loosened
down at the part joined to the stock. The staking being done, you need
do nothing more till near the end of June, when you should take off the
whole mass of canvass, clay, and bandage, but be careful in taking off
the clay not to break off the plant at the junction. It should be done
by a careful hand, and after a day or two of rainy weather, as then the
clay is moist and comes off without so much danger to the plant as when
it is not. On taking off the clay, there is found a little sharp angle,
left at the top of the stock; this should now be cut smooth off. The
bark of the stock and that of the scion will heal over this, and the
union is then complete. Lastly, it is frequently found that mould, and
sometimes small vermin, have collected around the heretofore covered
parts of the plant, according as the clay has been cracked by the sun.
Rub off all mould with your fingers, (no instrument does it so well,)
and kill all vermin in the same way; and it is not amiss to finish this
work by washing the joined parts with a little soap and water, using a
small paint-brush for the operation. All these things done, you have
only to guard against high winds, which, if the plant be not staked,
as is above described, will very likely be broken off by them; and, in
this work of destruction, you will have the mortification of seeing the
finest of your plants go first.
[Illustration: CLEFT-GRAFTING.--(FIG. 59.)]
_Cleft-Grafting._--This is a species of grafting adopted in cases where
the stock is large, or where it consists of a branch or branches of a
tree headed down. In either of these cases, saw off horizontally, the
part you wish to graft, and smooth the wound over with a carpenter's
plane, or a sharp, long-blade knife, (1.)
Prepare your scion in this manner: At about, an inch and a half from
the bottom, cut it in the form of the blade of a razor; that is, make
it sharp on one side, and let it be blunt at the back, where you will
also take care to leave the bark whole, (2, _a_.) Having thus prepared
the scion, make a split (1) in the crown of the saw-cut downward for
about two inches, taking care that the two sides of this be perfectly
even. Hold it then open, by means of a chisel or a wedge, (or when the
stock is but a small one, your knife,) and insert the scion, the sharp
edge going inward, and the bark side or razor-back remaining outward,
so that, on taking out the wedge or chisel, the cleft closes firmly on
the scion, (3,) the two edges of bark formed by the cleft, squeezing
exactly upon the two edges of bark formed by the blunt razor-back. To
make the two barks meet precisely is the only nicety in this operation;
but this is so essential, that the slightest deviation will defeat
the purpose. In this sort of grafting, the stock on which you graft
is generally strong enough to hold the scion close enough within
its cleft, without the aid of binding, and then it is better not to
bind; but as it is also necessary to prevent air circulating within
the wounded parts both of the stock and the scion, use grafting-clay
to cover them over so as to effectually exclude the air; and cover
the clay with a piece of coarse canvass, wetting it first, and then
binding it on securely. In this way, the stock being strong, you may
insert several scions on the same head, by making several different
clefts, and putting one scion in each; but this can only be to insure
your having two to succeed, for if all the scions that you put on one
head take, you must choose the two most eligible, and sacrifice the
rest, as more than two leading limbs from such head ought not to be
encouraged. The season for performing this sort of grafting, and the
mode of preparing the scion, and the future treatment of the tree, are
precisely the same as in _tongue-grafting_.
_Crown, or Bark-Grafting_ is a very ready method of grafting upon
large, uneven, old stocks and branches. It is practised somewhat later
than the methods above described, that is, from the end of March to the
third week in April, because, in that period, the separation of the
bark from the wood is more easily affected; a circumstance of primary
importance in this case. The tree is to be headed down, the cut being
made horizontally, and the section bored quite even and smooth; then
make a slit in the bark two inches in length, next with the handle of a
budding-knife, carefully open the bark for about a quarter of an inch;
then cut the scion about two inches in a sloping direction, in the form
of a tongue, leaving the bark entire on the outside. The scion thus
prepared, is pressed downward between the bark and the wood as far as
the incision in the stock extends; the bark of the stock readily yields
to the pressure employed, and the scion is supported in its situation
by a few coils of bass-matting, the whole being surrounded by clay.
_Dove-Tail Grafting._--This is a very neat and successful mode of
grafting, originating with Mr. Malone, who gives the following
directions for its performance. The scion is to be selected so as to
have two or three buds above where the knife is to be inserted to
prepare it for the operation; a slip is cut off the end of the scion,
sloping it to the bottom as long as it may be decided to insert it into
the stock. On each side of the cut, as far as it extends, a part of the
bark is to be taken off, leaving the under part broader than the upper,
on which upper or back part always contrive to leave a bud. The stock
or branch to be worked is thus prepared: Being first cut off smooth and
straight, two parallel slits, distant from each other nearly the width
of the scion and the length of its cut part, are then made in the bark
of the branch, observing particularly to slope the knife, so that the
under edge of the cut next the wood may be wider than the outer edge.
The piece of bark between the slits must then be taken out, separating
at the bottom by a horizontal cut. The scion will then slide into the
dove-tail groove thus formed, and, if the work is well performed, will
fit neatly and tightly. A small quantity of the grafting-clay must then
be carefully applied, securing it on with list, or any other convenient
bandage, fastening it at the end with two small nails. The top of the
stock should be entirely covered with clay, sloping it well up to the
grafts, and should be examined often to see if any cracks or openings
appear, which should be immediately filled up with some very soft clay.
The proper time for performing the operation is from the beginning
of April till the middle of May, or earlier if the sap is in motion.
(Gardener's Magazine, Vol. VII.)
[Illustration: BUDDING.--(FIG. 60.)]
BUDDING.--Budding is performed for precisely the same purpose as
grafting, and, like grafting, it is performed in many different ways;
and as long experience has ascertained the best method, namely, that of
T budding, (1,) so called from the form of the two cuts that are made
in the bark of the stock to receive the bud, or _shield-budding_, as it
is sometimes called from the form of the piece of bark (2) on which the
bud is seated, assuming the shape of a shield when it is prepared to be
inserted within the T cut in the stock.
The only solid difference between budding and grafting is this, that
whereas in grafting you insert on the stock a _branch_ already
produced, in budding, you insert only the _bud_. I shall proceed, in
treating of this matter, in the same way that I did in the preceding
article, namely, _as to the season proper for budding, the choosing
and preparing of the bud, the operation of budding, and the future
treatment of the plant budded_.
_The Season for Budding_ is generally from the latter end of July to
the latter end of August, the criterions being a plump appearance of
the buds formed on the spring shoot of the same year, seated in the
angle of a leaf, and a readiness in the bark of the stock to separate
from the wood.
_In Choosing and Preparing the Bud_, fix on one seated at about
the middle of a healthy shoot of the mid-summer growth--these are,
generally speaking, the most inclined to fruitfulness. Choose a cloudy
day, if you have a choice of days at this season, and if not, perform
your work early in the morning, or in the evening. The time being
proper, you sever the branch on which you find the buds to your liking.
Take this with you to the stock that you are going to bud, holding the
branch in your left hand, the largest end downward; make a sloping cut
from about an inch and a half below the bud to about an inch above it,
suffering your knife to go through the bark, and about half way into
the wood, cutting out wood and all. This keeping of the wood prevents
the bud and its bark from drying while you are preparing the incision
in the stock, and if you wish to carry buds of scarce sorts to any
distance, you may do so safely by putting their ends in water, or in
damp moss, but it is always safer, as well in grafting as in budding,
to perform the operation with as much expedition as possible, but
particularly it is so in budding.
_Operation of Budding._--Cut off the leaf under which the bud is
situated, but leave its foot-stalk, (2, _a_,) and by this hold it
between your lips, while with your budding-knife you cut two straight
lines in the stock at the place where you wish to insert the bud, and
this should be where the bark is smooth, free from any bruises or
knots, and on the side rather from the mid-day suns. Of these lines
let the first be horizontal, (1,) and let the next be longitudinal,
beginning at the middle of the first cut and coming downward. Let them,
in short, describe the two principal bars of the Roman letter T. You
have now to take out from the bark on which the bud is, the piece of
wood on which the bark is, and which has served you, up to this time,
to preserve the bud and bark from drying and shrinking. But this is a
nice matter. In doing it you must be careful not to endanger the root
of the bud, as it is called, because in that is its existence. The
bark, (if the season be proper for budding,) will easily detach itself
from this piece of wood, but still it requires a very careful handling
to get it out without endangering the root of the bud. Hold the bud on
your fore-finger, and keep your thumb on the wood opposite; then with
the fore-finger and thumb of the other hand, bend backward and forward
the lower end of the shield, and thus coax the wood to disengage itself
from the bark; and when you find it decidedly doing so, remove your
thumb from it, and the whole piece of wood will come out, leaving you
nothing but a piece of bark of about two and a half inches long, with a
bud and foot-stalk of a leaf on it. If the root of the bud be carried
away with the piece of wood, you will perceive a small cavity where it
ought to be. In this case, throw away the bud and try another.
Having succeeded in the second attempt, now open the two sides of the
longitudinal bar of the T with the ivory haft of your budding-knife,
but in doing this, raise the bark clearly down to the wood, for the
inside of the piece of bark belonging to the bud must be placed
directly against this. Having opened these sides wide enough to receive
the longest end of the bark, insert it nicely, taking especial care
that its inner side be flatly against the wood of the stock. Then cut
the upper end of the bark off, so that its edge shall meet precisely
the edge of the horizontal bar of the T (3, _a_.). With your finger and
thumb bring the two sides of the longitudinal bar over the bark of the
bud, or rather the shield, and with a piece of well-soaked matting,
begin an inch below this bar and bind firmly all the way up to an inch
above the horizontal bar, taking good care to leave the bud peeping
out. Bind in such a way as to exclude the air, for that is the intent
of binding in this case. Tie your piece of matting on first, and wind
it round and round the stock as you would a riband, taking care not
to twist the matting; wind it slowly, and every time you have gone
completely round, give a gentle pull to make it firm.
_Future Treatment._--In a fortnight's time from the operation, you will
discover whether the bud has taken, by its roundness and healthy look;
and, in a fortnight after that, loosen the bandage to allow the plant
to swell, and in about five weeks from the time of budding, take away
the bandage altogether. In this state, the plant passes the winter,
and just as the sap begins to be in motion in the following spring,
you head down the stock at about an inch above the bud, beginning
behind it, and making a sloping cut upward to end above its point.
Some gardeners leave a piece of the stock about six inches long for
the first year, in order to tie the first summer's shoot to it to
prevent its being broken off by the wind. This may be well when the
plant is exposed to high winds, but even then, if you see danger, you
may tie a short stick on the top part of the stock, and to this tie
the young shoot, and then the sap all goes into the shoot from the
bud, instead of being divided between it and six inches of stock left
in the other way. There are some advantages which budding has over
grafting, and these I think it right to mention. In the first place,
universal experience has proved that certain trees succeed much better
when budded, than the same trees do when grafted, such are the peach,
nectarine, apricot, plum, and cherry; indeed, the rule is, that all
stone-fruits do better budded than grafted, that they are, when budded,
less given to gum, a disease peculiar to stone-fruits, and often very
pernicious to them. You may also, by budding, put two more branches
upon a stock that would be too weak to take so many grafts, and you
may bud in July when grafting has failed in March and April. The
disadvantage of budding is that the trees are rendered one year later
in coming into bearing than when you graft.
Mr. Knight has recommended a mode of budding, (Hort. Trans., vol. I.).
He thus describes the process: In the month of June, as the luxuriant
shoots of my peach-trees were grown sufficiently firm to permit the
operation, I inserted buds of other varieties into them, employing two
distinct ligatures to bind the buds in their places. One ligature was
first placed above the bud inserted, and upon the transverse section
through the bark; the other which had no further office than that of
securing the bud, was applied in the usual way. As soon as the buds had
attached themselves, the ligatures last applied were taken off, but
the others were suffered to remain. The passage of the sap upward, was
in consequence much obstructed, and the inserted bud began to vegetate
strongly in July, and when these had afforded shoots about four inches
long, the remaining ligatures were taken off to admit the excess of
sap to pass on, and the young shoots were nailed to the wall, being
there properly exposed to light, their wood ripened well, and afforded
blossoms in the succeeding spring.
* * * * *
We should be pleased if any of our readers could give us further
information about the shrub described below.
_From the Yankee Blade._