The art of grafting and budding

Preface

The art of Grafting and Budding has for many years been practised in France on such an extensive scale, and with such remarkable success, that the gardeners of that country are now far in advance of all others in this branch of horticulture. The present work is a translation of M. Charles Baltet's " L'Art de Greffer," and embodies all that is known on the subject, so that the reader will find in its pages the fullest information on every point which relates to these operations. Every method of Grafting and Budding is described at length, with numerous illustrations, and an enumeration of the trees, shrubs, &c, to which each mode of operation is best applied. The book concludes « with a practical application of the previous instructions to about a hundred various kinds of trees and shrubs, which are then more particularly mentioned, with the season and mode of grafting proper in each case, special observations being added when necessary. M. Baltet is well known in the horticultural world as one of the most experienced fruit-growers on the Continent, and his " L'Art de Greffer," or " The Art of Grafting and Budding " is the most complete manual of these operations that has yet appeared in any language.

OF

GRAFTING AND BUDDING.

"You see, sweet maid, we marry A gentle scion to the wildest stock ; And make conceive a "bark of baser kind By bud of nobler race ; this is an art Which does mend nature : change it rather : but The art itself is nature."— Shakespeaeb.

DEFINITION AND AIM OF GRAFTING,

Geapting is an operation which, consists in uniting a plant, or a portion of a plant, to another which will support it, and furnish it with a part of the nutriment necessary for its growth. The plant which receives the graft should be furnished with roots ; it is destined to draw nutriment from the soil, and transmit it to the part grafted. It is called the stock. We shall mention a few exceptions where the stock is a simple cutting without roots ; but it is planted in such a manner as to be soon furnished with them. The other plant, Or portion of plant, which is grafted on the stock, should have at least one shoot or eye, and be in good condition— that is, neither withered, nor mouldy, nor decayed, nor wet. It is called the graft or scion ; it is analagous to a cutting in communication with the soil, and continues its normal growth through the intervention of the stock. Notwithstanding the intimate union of the stock and the graft, they preserve their individual character and constitution distinct : their layers cf wood and bark continue to be developed without the fibres and vessels of one converging with those of the other. It is, as it were, a federative union which leaves to the interested parties their independence. Not unfrequently the union of the grafted pieces suffers a clean severance at the point of contact, either in consequence of the weight of the branches, the violence of the wind, or some other casualty. However, the parts thus broken may be used again, either as stocks or grafts, just as before. Almost all dicotyledonous plants may be grafted. Up to the present the monocotyledonous plants have been tried without success. Their structure does not present the least capacity for the adhesion of the parts when put together; and without this intimate union, grafting is impossible.

OBJECT OF GRAFTING.

The object of grafting is — 1st. To change the character of a plant, by modifying the wood, the foliage, or the fruit which it was required to produce. 2nd. To excite the development of branches, flowers, or fruit on the parts of a tree where they are deficient. 3rd. To restore a defective or exhausted tree by the transfusion of the fresh sap of a vigorous kind. 4th. To bring together on the same stem the two sexes of monoecious plants, in order to facilitate their reproduction. 5th. To preserve and propagate a great number of woody or herbaceous plants for use or ornament, which could not be reproduced by any other means of multiplication. Without grafting, our orchards would not contain such rich collections of fruits for all seasons ; our forests would be without a large number of important kinds of trees ; and we should not experience the pleasure of seeing in our parks such a brilliant array of native and exotic shrubs. There remains one more observation to be made in favour of grafting, that is, that the

GRAFTING AND BUDDING.

plant, or rather fragment of plant, grafted on another preserves Its original qualities and characteristic properties. It will produce branches close or spreading, leaves purple or silvery, flowers white or rose-coloured, fruit large or small, early or late, exactly resembling the variety from which it was taken, and without being influenced by the neighbourhood of, or contact with, several similar kinds grouped on the same stock. "We could also quote instances of plants which, when grafted, grow more vigorously than when on their own roots. When it is considered that grafting is easy to be practised, that it involves only a trifling degree of bodily exertion, and developes a love for gardening, it will be allowed that it is both a useful .and an agreeable operation.

CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS.

In grafting, a great deal of the success depends on the skill of the operator. The other conditions essential to success are affinity between the species, vigour of the stock and graft, the condition of their sap, their intimate union, the season, and temperature.

Affinity hehveen Species.

The laws of the affinities of species are almost unknown. The observations hitherto made have been undertaken in a practical rather than a purely scientific spirit, as in the fertilizing of plants. The results obtained up to the present can only be regarded as a matter of fact. jSTo theory has as yet been deduced from them, except that kinds to be unite/ by grafting must be of the same botanic family.

For instance, the peach and the apricot are grafted on each I other with difficulty, while both do well on the almond-tree and the plum-tree. All the cherries unite with the Mahaleb ; but it will not succeed as a graft on any of the cherries. The sweet chestnut prospers on the oak; but will not do so if

^ THE AUT OF

grafted on the horse-chestnut, which belongs to another family. The medlar and the qnince, which have solitary flowers, flourish on the hawthorn, whose flowers are in corymbs. The Chionanthus, so nearly allied to the lilac by its panic-led flowers and simple leaves, only succeeds well on the common ash and on the flowering ash, which have compound leaves. On the other hand, the Sorbus, with pinnate leaves, is more vigorous when grafted on the thorn, (whose leaves are more entire) than it is when grown on its own roots.

The grafting of evergreen trees on deciduous kinds presents more than one singularity.

The Photinia, allied to the beam-tree, and the Eriobotrya, allied to the medlar, are grafted on the medlar, and not on the hawthorn. On the last, as a stock, the Cotoneaster and the Pyracantha do well. The Mahonia flourishes on the Berberis, and the common laurel succeeds on the bird- cherry and even on the wild cherry, from which it differs so much in appearance.

The grafting of deciduous plants on those that are evergreen has, in almost every case, been attempted in vain. Those who are fond of oddities can, with the assistance of grafting, have on the same thorn stock at the same time fruiting branches of the pear, the medlar, the beam-tree, the service-tree, the mountain-ash, the European and Japanese quince, and also see there the flowers of the double and red thorns, the Cotoneaster, and the Pyracantha.

They may gather from the same plum stock plums, apricots, peaches, nectarines, almonds, the corymbs of the Canadian cherry, and flower garlands of the Chinese and Japanese plum. But these whimsicalities are unworthy the attention of cultivators.

Whoever wishes to study grafting in the works of celebrated ancient authors on horticulture will find a string of absurdities.,

GRAFTING AND BTJDDD7G.

some of which we shall mention. Virgil speaks of a plum-tree which bore apples after having been grafted, and recommends the grafting of the pear on the ash. Martial advises the grafting of the cherry on the poplar. Columella, whose works are equally trustworthy, would have the olive grown on the fig. Palladius speaks of the walnut being grafted on the Arbutus, the pear on the almond, and the citron of his native island of Sardinia on the mulberry-tree. Pliny considers thunder injurious to trees grafted on the white-thorn.

Madame de Genlis, it is said, grafted the rose on the holly or the black currant, in order to obtain green or black roses ; and the Abbe Eozier recognised the possibility of it. Others united, in their imagination, the apple to the briar, hoping to gather therefrom Calvilles ; the orange to the holly, in order to acclimatize the former in open woods ; the vine to the walnut-tree, so as to have grapes full of oil. They are merely so many hallucinations, like the story of a cornel grafted on a peach-tree in a garden at Troyes, published by M. de Caylus in his " History of the Conjunction of Plants." The ancients are not the only persons guilty of falsification in the matter of grafting. There have been many instances of it in our own time, and we shall long continue to hear of black roses being produced from a black currant stock, &c.

Mutual Vigour of the Parts.

It will always be better to unite by grafting only such subjects as have between them some analogy in point of vigour, time of commencing to vegetate, and hardiness. If any difference should exist, it would be preferable that the graft should be of later vegetation than the stock, and also more vigorous and hardy. Tender varieties suit well with a stock of moderate vigour ; but on a weakly stock they produce a worthless tree. When grafted on too vigorous a stock, it is difficult for them to absorb all the sap furnished by the roots ; an evenness of

THE AET 0?

growth cannot be established between the stock and the graft. Then follow weakness and disease — disagreeable results. The reverse of this, to have the graft more vigorous than the stock, is more admissible. The pear-tree on the quince, the apple on the paradise, the cherry on the Mahaleb, give us proofs of this. The tree will be less vigorous than if perfect harmony existed between the two parts, and, its growth being thus tempered, it tends more to the production of fruit. Very great differences in the matter of vigour may be lessened by means of double grafting, in which we first graft on the stock a variety of intermediate vigour, and on this, later on, we graft the variety which we desire to propagate. The stock should always be strong enough to receive the graft. If it is weakly, although the graft will unite with it, the future tree will always be tender. Stocks that have been planted a year at least should employed. The number of the grafts on each stock should be in proportion to its vigour, so as to obtain the favourable results which will follow from the exact adjustment of the powers of vegetation. Sometimes grafting is successfully performed, during the repose of the sap, on stocks taken up out of the soil, which are replanted immediately after grafting. The graft-, on its part, should come from a pure source. The tree which furnishes it should be healthy, if it is desired to transmit health and hardiness. In the raising of plants, it is easier to prevent than to cure disease. The degeneration — more apparent than real — of species and varieties is especially due to the selection of bad subjects for propagation. The parent plant or tree which furnishes the scions should always be of a strong healthy constitution. Intimate Union of the two Parts.

In every kind of grafting it is indispensable that the twoparts grafted should be in close communication, not by means of the epidermis or the pith, but through the generating layers

GRAFTING AND BUDDING.

— that is, tlie new and living layers of inner bark or alburnum, in the tissne of which the cambium flows. A perfect joining is not effected except on this condition. A multiplicity of points of contact is favourable to a more complete nnion, which will also be assisted by a similarity of texture between the scion and the stock, especially as regards the herbaceous or woody nature of their tissues. Lastly, the speedy cohesion of the parts depends on the skill of the operator, who should know how to avoid wounds, or to cicatrise them, and to J preserve them from the action of the atmosphere.

Season for Grafting.

On principle, grafting should be performed while the sap is in motion. When it is done in spring or in autumn, the time should be chosen when the sap has begun to flow, or before it has ceased to do so. In summer it is best to avoid the period of its greatest activity. In all kinds of grafting, the condition of the sap should be nearly similar in both scion and stock ; when it is not so, it is much better to have the scion in a less advanced stage than the stock. The season of grafting in the open air is from the month of March till September, that is, generally speaking; in warm countries vegetation com m ences a month sooner. Certain plants also preserve the flow of the sap up to October arid November, which permits a delay in grafting them until that time. The time most suitable for the different methods of grafting will be indicated further on when we come to describe each

; method. The tradition which ascribes greater vigour to grafts made at the time of new moon, and greater productiveness to those made at the end of the last quarter, we consider

! simply ridiculous. A calm atmosphere, and warm rather than rainy or cold, is both agreeable to the operator and conducive to the success of the operation. Heat, within certain limits, stimulates the nutritious fluid ; while cold, on the contrary, chills and benumbs it. During the frosts of winter, grafting cannot be carried on except in the shelter of the propagating-house, where artificial heat and the other arrangements of the horticulturist will bring on vegetation to the desired extent at all seasons. Grafting under glass, either in houses or frames or under the cloche, is constantly practised from January to March, and from July to September.

IMPLEMENTS AND APPLIANCES FOR GRAFTING.

Simple, handy tools, with well-steeled blades, and kept in good condition, are preferable to complicated implements with several blades, or bristling with salient or cutting points, which may wound both the tree and the operator. The tool with a fixed blade is more firm in the handle, but one with a

The Secateur.

closing blade is more easily carried in the pocket, the apron, the tool-case, or the basket.

The Secateur.

This is an implement formed with two arms of steel or iron, one of which terminates in a cutting blade, the other in a blunt bevelled crescent, against which the branch to be cut rests. The handles being wide and roughened on the back are, in consequence, easier to hold and less fatiguing to the hands. The secateur is used for the following purposes : —

GRAPTIXG AND BUDDING.

1. For cutting off the heads of stocks which are too thick for

the pruning-knife, and not thick enough to require the saw, in those modes of grafting which demand a preliminary shortening of the stock.

2. For cutting off scions from the parent tree.

3. After grafting, for cutting, above the scion, any stocks

that have not been previously shortened, with the object of stimulating the development of the graft.

4. For cutting off the heels of grafts made on the branches

of the stock after a year's growth.

5. For severing from the parent-tree scions grafted by

approach.

6. For pruning spine -bearing plants and trees.

In general, the wounds occasioned by the secateur require to be dressed with the pruning-knife.

The Savj.

Hand-saws, with either a fixed or closing blade, are used for

The Saw.

cutting strong branches and thick stocks for crown -grafting with a tall or a short stem, and for cutting off the heels of grafts made on the branches of the stock when they are dry or too thick for the pruning-knife or the secateur. TVhen a strong branch is to be sawn, the heavy branchlets above the place of incision should first be removed j this will render it

THE APvT 0?

easier to work the saw, and the bark of the trunk will not be so likely to be injured. Moreover, the operator slackens the movement of his arm when the branch is nearly sawn through ; it is often even prudent to cease sawing altogether then, and finish the amputation with the pruning-knife, holding with the other hand the part which is being cut off. Cutlers manufacture saws with a single or a double row of teeth, and with the back of the blade (A) thinner than the toothed part (B). Grafters use excellent saws made of scythe blades, with one row of teeth, and set in the handle at an angle. The saw should never be used on a living tree without dressing and smoothing its marks with the pruning-knife, otherwise the furrows left by the saw will retain moisture on the surface of the wound and retard its healing.

The Pruning -Knife.

The pruning-knife consists of a handle of wood or horn.

French Pruning-Knife {Serpette)*

either straight or slightly curved, and a blade curved at the end. The point of the blade is more or less prominent. The workman becomes so accustomed to a particular shape that he often prefers an old, almost worn-out, knife to a new one of more even form. The pruning-knife is necessary for dressing the wounds caused by the saw or the secateur, for trimming bruised or torn tissues, and for smoothing down a cut, so that it may present a level surface, without inequalities, bruises, or splinters. In order to smooth properly, the hand which holds the handle of the tool should have the thumb supported

GHAFTING A3sD BUDDING.

against the branch or stem, while the other hand directs the blade. In the case of a stock of moderate thickness, the shortening of the stem is effected by means of the praningknife, withont having recourse to the saw. The prunhig-knife

English Pruning-Knif e (straight-bla&ed form) .

is also employed for cutting up the scions into suitable lengths. If it is preferred to employ a pruning-knife, in cutting and dressing them finally it will be advisable to have in reserve another finer-edged one, and keep the first for heading down, cutting off old stems, and such rough work. Grafters who

, use the pruning-knife for every operation of grafting should choose a blade not much curved, which will be found very

, handy when it is required to split the stock. The pruning-knife is also used, after grafting, in shortening those stocks

| which have not been previously cut, and also for removing the heel of the graft after a year's growth. The handle is held with both hands, and thus the heel is cut off with greater ease.

i This implement is also useful in trimming thorny trees.

The Budding -Knife.

I The budding-knife is a tool with a narrow blade, widening

French Bndding-Knife (Greffbir).

towards the end, and with the point curving backwards. At the end of the handle is a spatula, or small thin blade of ivory, which is used for raising the bark. This spatula should

THE ART Qf not be made ot metal, as that would soon be rusted by the sap. The budding knife is indispensable for bud-grafting, for cutting the scions in branch-grafting, for raising the bark, for s y/s.^n:

English Budding-Knife.

grafting under glass, or cutting ligatures when too tight for the graft, &c.

The Grafting -Knife.

The handle of this implement is slightly curved, in order to facilitate grafting near the surface of the ground ; the blade, in form of a comma or drop, is useful for splitting stocks intended for cleft -grafting when a partial cleft is required. A cleft from side to side is obtained by means of a knife with a

Grafting-Knife.

straight blade, like a table-knife in shape. The handle and back of such a knife should be strong enough to support the blows of the mallet, which the operator is sometimes obliged to use in cleaving very thick or hard-wooded stocks.

The Grafting-Chisel The grafting-chisel has the blade and the handle all in one piece, iron and steel. It has every advantage of solidity and resistance when it is required to cleave strong stems, either with or without the help of the mallet. When the cleft is made, we can, by half withdrawing the chisel, use it as a lever or wedge to keep the cleft partially open, and facilitate the

GRAFTING AXD BUDDING.

introduction of the graft. The chisel used by the vine

Grafting- Chisel and Mallet.

length. The blade is about two and three-quarter inches long.

Tli e Grafting - Gouge.

The grafting-gouge here represented comprises a handle about four inches long, and an iron stem nearly eight inches in length, the upper part of which for about two inches is curved inwards, and terminates in a curved gouge, with which

Grafting- Gouge.

the groove to receive the graft is cut. This implement, which is recommended by M. Eose-Charmeux, of Thomery, is useful in grafting by approach.

Combined Grafter.

M. Auguste Eiviere, head gardener at the Luxembourg, Paris, is the inventor of this implement, the special use

14 THE ART 0F

of which is in grafting by inlaying, which will be alluded to further on. The blade has a double purpose: the gouge (B) at the upper end is angular, so as to produce in the stock a wedge-shaped incision. At the bottom of the blade is a similar angular gouge (C), with which the scion is cut into a triangular wedge, which will fit perfectly into the incision made

Combined Grafter.

in the stock, as the two gouges (B and 0) are made with the same angle. That at C may be turned the other way, so as to suit a left-handed workman. Between these two parts, the blade is sharp-edged at A, and serves for cutting the scion from its parent-tree, or for smoothing the angles, if they have been imperfectly cut by the gouge at C.

The Metro-Greffe.

This tool is composed of a double spatula, which is fitted into the handle of an ordinary grafting-knife. Its

B

A The Metro-Greffe.

use is to measure the scion and stock, so as to make them fit exactly in those modes of grafting in which the two parts are placed in juxtaposition by simple veneering. The handle (D) bears at one end the blade of the grafting-knife which cuts the scion ; and at the other end the double spatula, the two

GBAPTING AttD BUDDING.

parts of which. (A. and B) are joined by a screw (C). The metro -greffe answers the purpose of a pair of compasses for measuring the back at the bevel of the graft, and then tracing on the stock a corresponding width for the groove which is to receive it.

All these tools are not indispensable in the practice oi grafting ; but they have each a special nse. The last three are intended to facilitate nice and complicated operations in grafting.

KEEPING THE TOOLS.

They should always be in a serviceable and clean condition. In the course of repeated operations, especially when the sap is flowing freely, it thickens and accumulates on the blade of the tool. It should be constantly removed by the application of water or moist earth. The dirt interferes with the proper management of the tool, and injiu'es the internal layers of the bark and wood which come into contact with the blade. Frequent sharpening of the cutting implements should not be neglected, as wounds heal much more readily when the cuts are clean. When the tool gets blunt, it should be ground down on a grindstone, and afterwards rubbed on a finer stone, to remove the wire-edge. In long-continued operations the tool should be rubbed on the fine stone frequently during the day. The Turkey, or any other fine-grained stone, is the bestfor sharpening pruning-knives. The slate-stone is suitable for the grafting -knife and the secateur. . There is also the fine stone used for razors and penknives ; on this, with a drop or two of oil, fine blades for delicate operations are sharpened. In nurseries, after passing the tools over the stone, they are stropped on the leather of the boot or shoe, or on the palm o^ the hand. The mode of sharpening depends on the skill or the practice of the operator. The object should be to sharpen the cutting parts without weakening them; otherwise, in rough, work, the edge will soon become blunt, and is easily notched. The saw is sharpened with a file made for the purpose. Delicate tools, and even the secateur, should be sent to the cutler.

Ligatures.

Almost all the modes of grafting require a ligature to fasten up separated tissues or raised bark, to tie clefts together, and to keep the graft firmly on the stock. If any considerable interval should be allowed to occur between the insertion of the scion and the application of the ligature, [the action of the atmosphere would not fail to have an injurious effect on the graft. The best ligatures are those which can neither expand nor contract under hygrometric influences, and which possess a certain amount of elasticity permitting them to accommodate themselves to the increasing diameter of the stock without cramping it. The thicker the stock is, the firmer should the ligature be ; for in this case the healing of the wound is naturally more tedious, and everything should be done to accelerate it. In cases of grafting where the bark only has been raised, it is sufficient to bring the cortical layers together, and to tie up the graft without compressing it. The ligature is applied with both hands. It is rolled in a spiral manner around the grafted part, drawing it tight at every turn, especially at the beginning and the end, where it is most liable to become loose. It does not matter whether the turns are made very close to each other or not ; the essential point is that the ligature should keep the graft firm. Should it yield on passing the finger over it, it is not sufficiently tight, and must be done over again. Woollen thread combines all the qualities to be wished for in a good ligature ; it adapts itself to the growth of the tree, and is not affected by moisture, as it has been passed through oil in its manufacture.

It is very much used in bud-grafting on small branches and medium-sized fruit trees and shrubs, conifers, and rose-trees, or small stocks grafted in the open air or under glass. Two or three threads of it are put together (without twisting them) in lengths proportioned to the thickness of the stocks and the depth of the clefts to be covered. For large stocks this thread would not be sufficiently strong. Cotton-thread is not affected by hygrometric changes, but it does not possess the elasticity of the woollen material. "We recommend it for bud-grafting on strong stems, or such as are of slow increase in bulk, and also for grafts under glass. In applying it as a ligature, it is j best to fasten it with a knot so that it can be easily untied, when it becomes too tight, as cotton is difficult to cut across, and the same ligature can then be used another season. The expense of purchasing cotton and woollen materials for ligatures in nurseries has led to an inquiry for cheaper substitutes. After trying various species of cares and bulrushes, two aquatic plants were found which supply an excellent material for ligatures. These are the reed-mace (Typha latifolia) and the bur-reed (Sparganium ramo sum), both of which grow in abundance on the banks of rivers and ditches, in ponds and marshes, and belong to the natural family of TyphaceaB. The plants are gathered when full-grown, either about the end of summer for the following season's use, or in spring to be used the same year. The leaves, which are thickly crowded at the base, are separated, and put to dry in the shade or in a loft, where they are hung up in bundles formed by tying the ends together. "When the time for using them arrives, they are cut into the lengths required, usually from one foot to twenty inches. A short time before grafting, these ligatures, tied in a bundle, are plunged into water, where they are left for a few hours ; they are then taken out and wrung dry in the same way that linen is wrung. Yery often they are merely put into a cellar to keep them cool and moist, and in places where water

C cannot be conveniently employed, they are placed under the soil with the same object. This kind of ligature requires a proper medium of dryness and moisture. If too dry, the leaf of the reed-mace or of the bur -reed will not have sufficient resisting power, and will break ; if too moist, it will cause the graft to rot, in addition to being just as brittle as in the other case.