Virginia Argus

Of Grafting old Apple-Trees.

It frequently happens, that, through some mistake or other, after waiting ten or twelve years for a tree to come into a bearing state, it is then found that the fruit is neither fit for the table nor the kitchen; in such case, we always graft them the following springs, observing to graft the finest and healthiest shoots, and as near as possible to the old graft, and where the coarse shoots break out; by so doing, you will have some fruit the second year: and in the third, if properly managed, you will have as much as on a maiden-tree of fifteen years standing

The canker, if any, must be carefully pared off the branch, and the scion must be taken from a sound healthy tree.

Whenever an incision is made for budding or grafting, from that moment the canker begins.

I would, therefore, recommend to those employed in budding or grafting, as soon as the incision is made, and the bud or graft inserted, to rub in with the finger or brush, some of the composition before the bass is tied on; then cover the bass all over with the composition as thick as it can be laid on with a brush, working it well in. If this operation be performed in a proper manner, and in a moist season, it will answer every purpose, without applying any grafting clay.

This I have frequently done, and found it succeeded perfectly to my wishes--Observe not to slacken too soon the matting (or bass) which is wrapped round the bud; for in that case you will find the incision opened, which very often occasions the death of the bud.

If Nurserymen and Gardeners would give this method a fair trial and use the same composition as I use for curing defects in trees, instead of loam and horse dung (which binds so hard as to prevent the rain and moisture from penetrating to the graft to moisten the wood and bark) they would find that the grafts would succeed much better The composition, for this purpose, should be rather softer than grafting clay, generally is: and instead of applying so large a mass as is generally done of clay, it need not, in most cases, be more than two or three inches in circumference

[Forsyth on fruit trees, &c. for sale at this office.]

* This rule must be of great use, and I find it to have been practised with great success at Kensington.

t Bass is the stuff of which are made the mats that are put round trunks, &c. in the shipping of goods. It is a nice soft ligament, and is much better than any other, as it never resists the swelling of the wood.