Garden Notes - Grafting

Grafting

A. Whip Grafting
Cut head of stock on the slope, make a notch half-an inch deep near tip of sloping cut; base of scion is cut, and an upward notch made, the tongue formed being inserted into cleft of Stock.
B. Cleft Grafting
An old fashioned method sometimes used on old trees, two scions being put in each stock
C. Splice Grafting is similar to A, but tongue cleft omitted.
D. Notch Grafting for old trees Scion is cut with a triangular point, and inserted in a triangular notch cut in head of stock. In all cases secure firmly with raffia; exclude air with clay or wax.

Making a Lawn

After the ground has been well dug over, and manured as may be necessary, the surface should be carefully leveled by means of pegs and a long straight edge. A peg should be driven in at each corner, and other pegs at regular distances between. The height of these may be adjusted by means of the straight edge. The height of these may be adjusted by means of the straight edge and a spirit level. In this manner the level of the lawn can be quite simply and accurately tested, as shown in the picture.

Planting Bulbs

When planting Bulbs a blunt ended dibber or trowel should be used. A dibber may be conveniently made from the handle of an old fork or spade, in which a number of hoes are bored one inch apart and large enough to take a small peg. By these means the depth of the holes may be regulated. A pointed dibber should not be used, for in such cases a space is often left below the bulb at B. A little silver sand placed at the bottom of the hole (A) encourages root formation.

Potting

Soak new pots for a few hours before using. Old pots should be well soaked in hot water and thoroughly scrubbed. The larger the pot the more drainage. For a 4 ½ in. pot, give ¾ in, of broken "Crocks"; t in. pot about 1 in.; 9 in pot, 2 in.; and so on. Cover crocks with soil siftings or moss, to prevent soil being washed down. Leave ample water space at the top as A; in the case of improperly potted plants (B) water runs off outside the pot.

Simple Propagators

Our illustration shows two simple but efficient propagators. A. is a large pot partly filled with cocoanut fiber and covered with a sheet of glass; small pots of seeds or cuttings may be plunged in the fiber and kept there until growth has taken place. It shows a simple bell glass propagator; the pot in which the seeds or cuttings have been set is planted in cocoanut fiber and covered with a bell glass. Hard wooded cuttings (Rose, Gooseberry, and shrubs generally take longer to root that herbaceous cuttings.