Grafting Your Trees

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  • Author Juliet Sadler
  • Published May 31, 2009
  • Word count 406

GRAFTING is the joining of a cutting of one to another tree in such a way as that the tree, on which the cutting is placed, sends up its sap into the cutting, and makes it grow and become a tree. Now, as to the way, in which this, and the way in which budding, is done, they cannot upon any principle consistent with common sense, become matter of written description.

Each is a mechanical operation, embracing numerous movements of the arms, hands, and fingers, and is no more to be taught by written directions than the making of a chest of drawers is. To read a fill and minute account of the acts of budding and grafting would require ten times the space of time that it requires

to go to a neighbor's and learn, from a sight of the operation, that which, after all, no written directions would ever teach.

To bud and graft, in all the various modes, form a much nicer and more complicated operation than that of making a shoe; and I defy any human being to describe adequately all the several acts in the making of a shoe, in less than two volumes, each larger than this. The season for taking off the cuttings for grafts, is any time between Christmas and March.

Any time after the sap is completely in a quiescent state and before it be again in motion. When cut off they will keep several months. I cut some here in January last (1819.) They reached England in March; and, I hear that they were growing well in June.

A great deal has been said about the season for grafting, and Mr. MARSHALL tells the English, that it must not be done till the sap in the stock is just ready to flow freely. He has never seen a man sitting by a hot six plate stove, grafting apple trees in the month of January, and then putting them away in his cave, to be brought out and planted in April!

I have seen this; and my opinion is, that the work may be done at any time between October and May: nay, I am not sure, that it may not be done all the summer long. The cuttings too, may be taken off, and put on directly; and, the sooner the better; but, in the winter months, they will keep good off the tree for several months.

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