Winkfield make most excellent stocks for most all other varieties.

Grafting is performed by inserting a scion of one variety on the branch of another, called the stock, and trees of all ages can be grafted successfully, if they be sound and healthy, and the scions also. Scions are shoots of the previous year's growth, and should be cut in February and tied up. The butt ends should be cut square, then placed standing in some part of the cellar floor where it is a little moist. Scions thus treated are kept dormant until wanted, with no shriveling of the bark, and will be in an excellent condition to use. They should be taken from the upper branches of thrifty and hardy trees well matured. Scions bearing fruit buds should not be used, and a medium size scion is better than one half an inch in diameter, pithy and unripe. The implements used in grafting are very simple; the grafting knife with chisel attached, saw, and a sharp knife to prepare the grafts with. There are various opinions expressed in regard to what is the best composition to be used in grafting. This subject was once extensively discussed before the Bradford Farmer's Club. Some preferred a composition made from bees-wax, tallow and rosin, equal parts. Others substituted linseed oil for tallow, with less bees-wax and more rosin than of either. But the majority, from long expe. rience, concluded that there was nothing equal to a simple composition made from fresh cow manure and brick-clay; onethird manure to two-thirds clay is about right to use. It will adhere firmly to the wound until it is all healed, and retains moisture, which is requisite during the process of healing; when it falls off it leaves the bark on the wound healthy, fresh and smooth; in fact, it is nature's own remedy and we have never known it to fail. On the other hand, a composition made from oily substances must be injurious to the tree, as it is foreign to its nature, and hence it cannot but interrupt, in a great measure, free circulation and impede progress in healing. Aside from grafting, we believe that oil or grease should not be applied in form to a tree, and in grafting, if the other agents

used in the compound did not counteract the action of the oil on the wound, the wound would never heal.

Of the several modes of grafting spoken of in our introductory remarks on grafting, we shall only recommend two for practical use, viz.: Skin and Cleft grafting. Having everything in readiness, composition, scions, implements, strips of cloth, thread to tie with, etc., Skin grafting is performed after this fashion:-Saw off the stock horizontally with a fine tooth saw, clean and smooth; and cut the scion on one side, about an inch and three-fourths long; make a shoulder at the top of the cut on the scion, and a slit in the bark of the stock to admit it. Care should be taken that the slit in the bark of the stock does not exceed in length the cut on the scion; raise the bark from the stock and insert the scion between the bark and wood; have the shoulder rest on the stock; then apply the composition all over the wound, wrap a strip of cloth (cotton) about three inches wide around it firmly two or three times and tie with small thread. We have heard objections to this mode of grafting, on account of the graft being blown off before growing firmly to the stock. Nevertheless we have tried it with success, and found it makes a strong perfect union, when the scion has grown as large as the stock. Cleft grafting is performed by sawing the stock, as in skin grafting, clean and smooth; then the stock is split by holding the grafting-knife in the centre and striking lightly with a hammer, use the chisel on the knife to keep the split open until the scions are inserted, one on each side; cut the scion in the shape of a wedge to fit snugly the split in the stock, and have a bud on it close to the stock on the outside; when this is done insert the scions firmly in the stock, and see that the inner barks of both scion and stock comes in perfect contact; then apply the composition, as in the case of skin grafting, and fill every crevice to exclude air and rain water; wrap a strip of cloth two or three times round it, and tie with thread as in skin grafting; success will depend on good fitting and clean cutting.

In large stocks an inch and a half in diameter or more, two

scions should be inserted, but if both grow, one should be removed when they get close together, as the wound on the stock will then be healed and only one is needed. Prune back the growth on the scion the following Spring so that it may grow stocky, and throw out shoots close to the stock, to form a new head for the tree. Grafted trees should be watched closely during the growing season, as they throw out immense quantities of suckers, which if left to grow will almost starve the young grafts. These should be checked as fast as they appear, though it is necessary to leave part of the branches on the stock to balance growth. They may be removed altogether the second or third season, or according to the size and growth of the tree. A little experience will teach how to regulate this. REMARKS ON SOILS, PLANTING THE TREES, ETC.

The most desirable soil for pear trees is deep loamy soil, not alone in producing thrift and fruitfulness, but the fruit grown. on such soil is par excellence in flavor and nutrition. There are other soils, such as sandy and clayey soils, that by judic ious treatment might be made available for pear culture. Mixing ashes, clay, or muck, with sandy soil will be a great improvement, as these agents retain moisture and the soluble parts of manure, that will enable plants to stand the drouth

better.

Clayey soil of itself makes very poor soil for all kinds of fruit trees, as in dry season it bakes hard and cracks, rendering it too impervious to that best of all plant food, the cool dews of night, in the Spring and Fall, and after heavy rains sticky mud not fit for trees to stand in.

The most proper way to improve such soil is first to tiledrain it, then to incorporate with it sand, muck, coal or wood ashes liberally. All kinds of soil for fruit trees should be dry, either naturally or made so by the system of drainage.

In preparing soil for planting trees, plow eighteen inches deep or thereabouts, bringing the sub-soil on top. This can be accomplished by going twice in the same furrow, first with a common plow then with a sub-soil. Small gardens, where the

plow cannot be used, can be dug with a spade any required depth by trenching, which should be done in this manner: commence on one side and open a trench two feet wide or so, and in depth as recommended for ploughing; carry off to the opposite side the dirt taken out of it (to be used in filling the last trench), then open the next and throw the surface soil into the bottom of the first and subsoil on top, and so on until the whole garden is trenched. In all cases for fruit trees, grape vines, etc., this depth is essential, as the roots will certainly go that distance downwards in search of food. If not ready to plant when your trees arrive, heel them at once, by opening a trench deep and wide enough to admit all the roots, being careful to cover the roots well to exclude air. When ready to plant take off all bruised roots and mutilated branches, making a clean slanting cut every time, and cut back the last year's growth to two or three buds. Make the hole somewhat larger than is necessary to admit of all the roots in their natural position, and throw out the surface in one pile and the subsoil in another. Sink the hole about two feet and a half deep, round it up with surface soil, and have three inches of the trunk above where the roots branch out covered, on a level with the surface. A great many trees are spoiled by both deep and shallow planting. To set a tree to the proper depth, use a narrow strip about five feet long, lay it across the hole on the surface; then set the tree in the hole, measure three inches from where the upper roots branch out on the tree, to the under side of strip, work pulverized surface soil between and under the roots with the hand; stretch out every little fibre carefully, and when the roots are well covered tramp down hard so that the tree will stand as firm as a post; spread the subsoil on top light and loose.

Trees should be set leaning a little towards the north-west, as most of our heavy gales blow from that direction, and young trees with heavy tops cannot resist their forces. Consequently we see a great many in our travels leaning towards the east or south-east, when from seven to ten years old. Use

no manure in contact with the roots, and mulch, especially during the first season, with coarse straw, salt hay, or corn stalks; this will keep the soil cool and moist round them, and prevent injury from drouths in dry seasons. The proper dist tance apart for pear trees in orchards is about twenty feet each way, but this distance cannot be well adopted in small gardens. We very often see one tree growing under the shade of another, but the result is, tall, straggling skeletons, without shape or form and as a rule unproductive. In cases of this kind it is better that one tree should occupy the whole space taken up by two, as the yield thereby would be improved in quantity and quality, to say nothing of the general welfare of the tree. In all cases give them plenty of room, good deep, dry soil, clean culture, severe pruning, and success will be the reward. We very often hear some persons recommend, when planting trees, to fill up the bottom of the holes with old shoes, glass bottles, pieces of scrap iron, tin cans, old crockery, and any kind of rubbish, but for what purpose we have yet to learn. It may be safely said that none of these articles named contain any plant food, and furthermore we believe that such rubbish would greatly interfere with the roots taking a firm hold in the soil. This rubbish must work up towards the surface by the action of the frost, the same as stones, which would be a great nuisance in a garden until removed.

We wish to offer a few remarks on the so-called fire-blight, the most dangerous disease that the pear tree is heir to, but whether it is caused by the sudden changes of the atmosphere, imperfect drainage, or heavy manuring remains, in a measure, to be proved.

The disease makes its appearance at different periods, sometimes in early Spring before the trees put out, and through June and July, long after the leaves are out, attacking the branches first. We believe that heavy manuring has every. thing to do with this disease, as stimulating the soil too highly with rich manure forces immature growth, which cannot stand the changes of our climate without injury. Mr. Richard