Grape Grafting. 



465 



cut oflF at an angle or the hole must be made larger, neither 

 result being exactly what is desired. The blade need not be 

 more than six or eight inches long, and only wide enough to 

 give it firmness. The handle, which can be of any convenient 



pattern but large enough to 

 be grasped by both hands, 

 should be attached to a solid 

 bent shank having the part 

 which lowers the block into 

 the excavation from three 

 to four inches in length. 



When the stock has been 

 sawed, it is a good plan 

 to smooth the top of the 

 stub, at the places in which 

 the cions are to stand, with 



2. Cleft grafting. 



a sharp knife in order to dress those portions of the sawed sur- 

 face and to show more distinctly the line dividing the bark from 

 the wood. 



The next step is to split the stub, leaving the smoothed parts 

 above mentioned at the top of the cleft. This splitting of the 

 stub is not such an easy matter as at first appears. A tool 

 commonly used for this purpose is shown in Fig. 3. It is made 

 very strong so that there will be no danger of its breaking when 

 driven into the stub. A large chisel might answer the same pur- 



pose. 



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3. Grafting knife for splitting stubs. 

 The cutting edges should be sharp to prevent unnecessary 



tearing of the cells. The grain of grape wood is by no means 

 very straight and some varieties seem to have a peculiarly twisted 

 wood. In such cases a keen edge upon the tool is of great value. 

 It has been recommended to use a fine saw for making a cleft to 



