_Of diuers other wayes of grafting, their vses and purposes._
Although for certainty, vse, and commodity, the manner of grafting
already prescribed is of sufficiency inough to satisfie any constant or
reasonable vnderstanding, yet for nouelty sake, to which our nation is
infinitly addicted, and to satisfie the curious, who thinke their
iudgements disparaged if they heare any authorised traueller talke of
the things which they haue not practised, I will proceede to some other
more quaint manners of grafting, and the rather because they are not
altogether vnnecessary, hauing both certainety in the worke, pleasure in
the vse, and benefit in the serious imploying of those howers which else
might challenge the title of idlenesse, besides they are very well
agreeing with the soyles and fruits of this Empyre of great Brittaine
and the vnderstandings of the people, for whose seruice or benefit, I
onely vndergoe my trauell.
You shall vnderstand therefore, that there is another way to graft,
which is called grafting betweene the barke and tree, and it is to be
put in vse about the latter end of February, at such time as the sappe
beginnes to enter into the trees: and the stockes most fit for this
manner of grafting are those which are oldest and greatest, whose graine
being rough and vneuen, either through shaking or twinding, it is a
thing almost impossible to make it cleaue in any good fashion, so that
in such a case it is meete that the grafter exercise this way of
grafting betwixt the barke and the tree, the manner whereof is thus.
{SN: Grafting betweene the barke.}
First, you shall dresse your grafts in such sort as was before discribed
when you grafted in the cleft, onely they shall not be so long from the
knot or seame downeward by an inch or more, neither so thicke, but as
thinne as may be, the pith onely preserued, and at the neather end of
all you shall cut away the barke on both sides, making that end smaller
and narrower then it is at the ioynt or seame, then sawing off the head
of the stocke, you shall with a sharpe knife pare the head round about,
smooth and plaine, making the barke so euen as may be, that the barke of
your grafts and it may ioyne like one body, then take a fine narrow
chissell, not exceeding sharpe, but somewhat rebated, and thrust it hard
downe betwixt the barke and the tree, somewhat more then two inches,
according to the iust length of your graft, and then gently thrust the
graft downe into the same place, euen close vnto the ioynt, hauing great
care that the ioynt rest firme and constant vpon the head of the stocke,
and thus you shall put into one stocke not aboue three grafts at the
most, how euer either other mens practise, or your owne reading doe
perswade you to the contrary. After your grafts are fixt and placed, you
shall then couer the head with barke, clay, and mosse, as hath beene
formerly shewed: also you shall fasten about it some bushes of thorne,
or sharpe whinnes, which may defend and keepe it from the annoyance of
Pye-annats, and such like great birds.
There is another way of grafting, which is called grafting in the
scutchion, which howsoeuer it is esteemed, yet is it troublesome,
incertaine, and to small purpose: the season for it is in summer, from
May till August, at what time trees are fullest of sappe and fullest of
leaues, and the manner is thus: take the highest and the principallest
branches of the toppe of the tree you would haue grafted, and without
cutting it from the olde woode chuse the best eye and budding place of
the cyon, then take another such like eye or budde, being great and
full, and first cut off the leafe hard by the budde, then hollow it with
your knife the length of a quarter of an inch beneath the budde, round
about the barke, close to the sappe, both aboue and below, then slit it
downe twice so much wide of the budde, and then with a small sharpe
chissell raise vp the scutchion, with not onely the budde in the midst
but euen all the sappe likewise, wherein you shall first raise that side
which is next you, and then taking the scutchion betweene your fingars,
raise it gently vp without breaking or brusing, and in taking it off
hould it hard vnto the woode, to the end the sappe of the budde may
abide in the scutchion, for if it depart from the barke and cleaue to
the woode, your labour is lost, this done you shall take another like
cyon, and hauing taken off the barke from it, place it in the others
place, and in taking off this barke you must be carfull that you cut not
the woode, but the barke onely, and this done you shall couer it all
ouer with redde waxe, or some such glutenous matter; as for the binding
of it with hempe and such trumpery it is vtterly dissalowed of all good
grafters: this manner of grafting may be put in practise vpon all manner
of cyons, from the bignesse of a mans little fingar to the bignesse of a
slender arme.
{SN: Grafting with the Leafe.}
Not much vnlike vnto this, is the grafting with the Leafe, and of like
worth, the art whereof is thus: any time betwixt midst May, vntill the
midst of September, you shall chuse, from the toppe of the sunne-side of
the tree, the most principall young cyon you can see, whose barke is
smoothest, whose leaues are greatest, and whose sappe is fullest, then
cutting it from the tree note the principall leafe thereof, and cut away
from it all the woode more then about an inch of each side of the leafe,
then cutting away the vndermost part of the barke with your knife, take
peece meale from the barke all the woode and sappe, saue onely that
little part of woode and sappe which feedeth the leafe, which in any
wise must be left behind, so that the graft will carry this figure.
{Illustration}
Then goe to the body, arme, or branch of that tree which you intend to
graft, which is to be presupposed must euer haue a smooth and tender
barke, and with a very sharpe knife slit the barke, two slits at least,
two inches long a peece, and about halfe an inch or more distance
betweene the two slits: then make another slit crosse-wise ouerthwart,
from long slit to long slit, the figure whereof will be thus:
{Illustration}
Then with your knife raise the barke gently from the tree, without
breaking, cracking, or brusing: then take your graft, and putting it
vnder the barke lay it flat vnto the sappe of the tree, so as that
little sappe which is left in the leafe, may without impediment cleaue
to the sappe of the tree, then lay downe the barke close againe and
couer the graft, and with a little vntwound hempe, or a soft wollen
list, binde downe the barke close to the graft, and then couer all the
incisions you haue made with greene waxe: by this manner of grafting you
may haue vpon one tree sundry fruits, as from one Apple-tree, both
Pippins, Peare-maines, Russettings and such like, nay, you may haue vpon
one tree, ripe fruit all summer long, as Ienettings from one branch,
Cislings from another, Wibourns from another, Costards and Queene-Apples
from others, and Pippens and Russettings, from others, which bringeth
both delight to the eye, and admiration to the sence, and yet I would
not haue you imagine that this kinde of grafting doth onely worke this
effect, for as before I shewed you, if you graft in the cleft (which is
the fastest way of all grafting) sundry fruits vpon sundry armes or
bowes, you shall likewise haue proceeding from them sundry sorts of
fruits, as either Apples, Plumbes, Peares or any other kind, according
to your composition and industry; as at this day we may dayly see in
many great mens Orchards.
{SN: Grafting on the toppes of trees.}
There is yet another manner of grafting, and it is of all other
especially vsed much in Italy, and yet not any thing disagreeable with
our climate, and that is to graft on the small cyons which are on the
toppes of fruit trees, surely an experience that carryeth in it both
dificulty and wonder, yet being put to approbation is no lesse certaine
then any of the other, the manner whereof is thus: you shall first after
you haue chosen such and so many grafts as you doe intend to graft, and
trimd them in the same manner as you haue beene taught formerly for
grafting within the cleft, you shall then mount vp into the toppe of the
tree, vpon which you meane to graft, and there make choise of the
highest and most principallest cyons (being cleane barkt and round)
that you can perceiue to grow from the tree, then laying the graft, and
the cyon vpon which you are to graft, together, see that they be both of
one bignesse and roundnesse: then with your grafting knife cut the cyon
off betweene the olde woode and the new, and cleaue it downe an inch and
an halfe, or two inches at the most: then put in your graft (which graft
must not be cut thinner on one side, then on the other, but all of one
thicknesse) and when it is in, see that the barke of the graft both
aboue and below, that is, vpon both sides, doe ioyne close, euen, and
firme with the barke of the branch or cyon, and then by foulding a
little soft towe about it, keepe them close together, whilst with clay,
mosse, and the in-most barke of Osyars you lappe them about to defend
them from ayre, winde, and tempests. And herein you shall obserue to
make your graft as short as may be, for the shortest are best, as the
graft which hath not aboue two or three knots, or buddes, and no more.
You may, if you please, with this manner of grafting graft vpon euery
seuerall cyon, a seuerall fruit, and so haue from one tree many fruits,
as in case of grafting with the leafe, and that with much more speede,
by as much as a well-growne graft is more forward and able then a weake
tender leafe. And in these seuerall wayes already declared, consisteth
the whole Art and substance of Grafting: from whence albeit many curious
braines may, from preuaricating trickes, beget showes of other fashions,
yet when true iudgement shall looke vpon their workes, he shall euer
finde some one of these experiments the ground and substance of all
their labours, without which they are able to doe nothing that shall
turne to an assured commoditie.
{SN: The effects of Grafting.}
Now when you haue made your selfe perfect in the sowing, setting,
planting and grafting of trees, you shall then learne to know the
effects, wonders, and strange issues which doe proceede from many quaint
motions and helpes in grafting, as thus: if you will haue Peaches,
Cherryes, Apples, Quinces, Medlars, Damsons, or any Plumbe whatsoeuer,
to ripen earely, as at the least two months before the ordinary time,
and to continue at least a month longer then the accustomed course, you
shall then graft them vpon a Mulberry stocke: and if you will haue the
fruit to tast like spice, with a certaine delicate perfume, you shall
boyle Honey, the powder of Cloues and Soaxe together, and being cold
annoynt the grafts there-with before you put them into the cleft, if you
graft Apples, Peares, or any fruit vpon a Figge-tree stocke, they will
beare fruit without blooming: if you take an Apple graft, & a Peare
graft, of like bignesse, and hauing clouen them, ioyne them as one body
in grafting, the fruit they bring forth will be halfe Apple and halfe
Peare, and so likewise of all other fruits which are of contrary tastes
and natures: if you graft any fruit-tree, or other tree, vpon the Holly
or vpon the Cypresse, they will be greene, and keepe their leaues the
whole yeere, albeit the winter be neuer so bitter.
If you graft either Peach, Plumbe, or any stone-fruit vpon a Willow
stocke, the fruit which commeth of them will be without stones.
If you will change the colour of any fruit, you shall boare a hole
slope-wise with a large auger into the body of the tree, euen vnto the
pith, and then if you will haue the fruit yealow you shal fill the hole
with Saferne dissolued in water: if you will haue it redde, then with
Saunders, and of any other colour you please, and then stoppe the hole
vp close, and couer it with red or yealow waxe: also if you mixe the
coulour with any spice or perfume, the fruit will take a rellish or tast
of the same: many other such like conceits and experiments are practised
amongst men of this Art, but sith they more concerne the curious, then
the wise, I am not so carefull to bestow my labour in giuing more
substantiall satisfaction, knowing curiosity loues that best which
proceedes from their most paine, and am content to referre their
knowledge to the searching of those bookes which haue onely strangnesse
for their subiect, resolued that this I haue written is fully sufficient
for the plaine English husbandman.