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Grafting

Every tree that has coarser marrow, the graft is awkward
to estre cut well, because there is a
danger of wounding the marrow, & if it is wounded at the point of
juncture, it takes uneasily, like from the vine, from all
peaches & apricots.

Apricot trees have a very thin bark, & thus one needs
to graft them onto young trees which do not yet have thick bark, like on
shoots of prune trees & almond trees.

The grafts scarcely  take if the cut of the tree is
dampened. One needs then to graft in serain & mild
weather, & not too cold & windy.

Old wood that one leaves to graft is necessary if one grafts on a
tree that is already made & of good size, because being such, it
tightens the graft more, & if it is from young wood, it is so
compressed that it cannot profit. But old wood resists the compression
of old wood than the young better, because it is harder than
the young. But if the graft is all of old wood, it will never hold
beautifully, but turns fragile & short & slow to
grow.


Molding with cuttlefish bone

Guard against keeping them in a damp place, for they are
well prone to getting moist. If your medal is small, cut the bone
in two then even it out with a knife. And on a hooked
rooftile, well dry &well smooth & covered with
pulverized willow charcoal, rub & smooth the two
half bones. Thus they absorb this willow
charcoal, which makes them release them, guard against removing
anything. Then on a counter bone, that is to say a lump of
brick, smoothed to the size of your bone, place
your medal, & then on this one, place the bone,
& press well with some other piece of the same size above. And for
the second time, mold it, but before, ponce on top with
willow charcoal & blow gently, then press as before,
and it will come out neatly. If it is for a spoon handle, one needs two
whole bones. All cast work is brittle & subject to
breaking, because the metal expands when cast, & retracts
& condenses when hammered. That is why, one ought to
retrace the cast thing with a chisel, & in this way the
metal retracts, and let it thus escrouir. If the piece
for molding is of high relief, first trace the mold & the
cavity with a pen-knife, to make way for the medal & then
mold. And if the medal has two sides

Before casting, heat the
bones in order to make them lose only the coldness &
dampness.

When the lead gets too hot, it
calcines.

