Farm and Garden

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 347, 1 January 1903, Page 2

Farm and Garden

'" ORIGINAL ARTICLES J ~.J#HES:AND HOW TO GRABT. §HE ordinary method of grafting as •■' Universally practised is cleft grafting. Any intelligent person, with a fairly good eye can grift. Select the scions for grafting from a « ojidM healthy, rigorous growing treei matter should sot ba delayed until th> late as some. unsuccessful operators do. If delayed until the buds have started in the spring of the year and become nnch ,Bw^e^^ r latent Bat the active propagator will cut his scions a few weeks before buds swell, and plajo them in a cool dark place, or cover them with three or four.inch 6B »oi sand, marking each variety selected. When the tree buds begin to a wall, select! a thrifty limb on the tree to be grafted, and nut more than one inch in diameter if possible, although a larger branch will dx Very small branches are objectionable; nothing less, than half inch diameter should be grafted. Use a sharp, fine* toothed'saw. Saw the branch smooth sn i trim it smoothly, 'especially " the bark, with a sharp knife; then take a large stout knife, place it across the centre-of .the stock or limb, and' with a hammer strike the knife so as to make a clean split down the stock twi.or three inches; and after withdrawing the knife, insert a small wooden wedge in the middle of the incision at the top, leaving room enough on each side to insert a scion. If the stock is too small for two suons, insert tb.fi wedge on one side; after the wedge has been inserted in order to force apart the stock sufficiently to receive the scion, take a sharp knife and cut a smooth scarf on each sidecf the scion—sayan inch or less in length, wedge-like in shape, a trifle thinner at the back—and insert that in the incision; Now, a'ter having, proceeded as directed, the most important follows in seeing that the inner b-.uk of the scarfed scion exactly touches or com>s in contact with the innor bark of the eplit stock or limb, for it n there that the sap runs down the cambium—layers and contents, as it were, the sc'on to the stock. Without that coatacSt; described tto union would 'result in fa'lure. The inner bark alluded to 'n 'hat part next tha solid wool of the l'iab. After both scions have been inserted, on> on ;eaih eide, withdraw cat tfally the wooden wedge. The grafting wax may b<kept by placing it in a vessel oontaining hot water. Apply' , a little at a time, and, cover-the incision and portion of" the scion in°erted in the stock, forcing a portion of the wax down a little way in th/» incision on top; completely cover the incision and the cut . portion on'top, also the split on the sides, leaving no part uncovered by the wax thtt his been operated f>h. v All those parts must be protected from the air. Soma people bind a pieoa of canvas uioth round and about those'parts that have been wounded, but it ia unnecessary where plenty cf caution has been exercised. Place a mite of wax on top of the scion. Only allow two bads to remain on the scion; If both scions take and give signs of growth, it is best to cut one off after a growth of two or three inches, for one straight branch is better than two. Grafting wax may be obtained at most seed stores, or it may be made as follows: Resin four parts, beeswax two parts, • tallow one part; to be melted together, .and well, stirred. Another good formula for grafting wax is:—Seven poinds of resin, one pound, of beeswax, and one pint of melted together, and well stirred on cooling. -If-too s»ft, add more resin; if too hard, add more oil.

SfBATING THE APPLE OBC3ABD. '" Orchardisfca cannot control weather and other- conditions which'.may prevail, yet there is much that*-may, be done to alleviate threatened had result 1; and this applies to spraying as well as other matters. Apple trees shoald be sprayed three times each year. First, as the blossom buds are swelling; second, just after, the blossoms fall; and third, eight or ten weeks iater; using each time bord aux mixture, with paris green added, in th» proportion 06 throe-quarter a of * pound or parisgVoin t> \»ne hu&dred an I fifty gallons of the bordeaux solution. This hundred and fifty gallon cask <f solution is placed on its side, fitted to a rack, and mounted on a platf wm track. A pump with sufficient ioroe a3d oapaaity to send a fine Bpray alii;over the trees should ba used. It is advisable to me a pump which has the working parts all in the cask, and not a spray pump, with a stuffiing box and leather valves, or one or tink. Knapsack and small pomps of any. kind made to Qarry around by hand may Inconvenient "in but are useless for general spraying ia an orchard. Fruit trees of afr kinds are sprayed with the same mixture, except p ;ach trees, for which the strength must be reduced about., s. ne half, as the foliage is easily injured by' rising .too 'strong a Solution. Currant and gooseberry bu?hes are easily 1 accessible, and when signs of the currant worm are. discovered, one good spraying ends all,^trouble season. In planting potatoes some people put in six rows three feet apart, then oae row with a four foot space each side w it, then six tows three feet apart, and so on j .one-can then drive over'-every sevehth |row, sprayirig it, and three/rows on fc&cn side without injury. The bordeaux Mix. ture, with green'added," is used.for jail spraying;— the bordeaux 1 mixture being {applied to prevent the leaf scab and ofibwr Ifungous diseases, and the parid green for jinsecte whiih eat the leaf and fruit; but when the common leaf aphis is troublesome some people us? spraying with a solution of whale oil soap. : Oae pmnd to ten gallons of water is effective and thta most satisfactory application.