PROPAGATION. 93 



inch-and-a-half in Icngfth to two inches, having two or 

 three eyes. Then cut your stock level at the top, and 

 with your budding- knife cut out of the side a tiny 

 wedge of bark and wood in the shape of the letter V. 

 Do not let the cut be deep enough to reach the pith of 

 the stock, and regulate the width by the scions you 

 have to graft. 



The all-important point to remember is to get the 

 inner bark of the scion and stock to meet — no easy 

 matter, and one that requires sound judgment and a 

 sharp knife. Cut your cleft in the stock first, and then 

 pare down your scion to fit, trying, as far as possible, 

 to fill exactly the cavity. This you will never quite do, 

 but the nearer you get it the greater will be your 

 chances of success. Bind in the scion securely with 

 raffia, and then cover the grafted part with grafting wax 

 to keep out air and moisture. 



Wedge-Grafting. — This method of grafting is 

 more simple than that of cleft-grafting. You cut your 

 stock level at the top as before, but instead of taking 

 a piece out of the side you split it down the middle to 

 the depth of about an inch. Then you cut your scion 

 in the shape of a fine wedge, and insert it in the slit, 

 bringing bark to bark and binding as before; cover 

 the top of the stock and exposed cut parts with grafting 

 wax. 



If it is found impossible to get both sides to quite 

 meet bark to bark, then at any rate make one side 

 sure; but practice will make perfect, and soon there 

 will be left very little to be desired. 



The after-care for all the grafted stocks is the 

 same, and has already been described. 



It will be seen that from the first day of grafting 

 to the end about ten weeks will be all that is required 

 to secure a fresh shoot from w'hich it is possible to 

 graft again. Thus the grower can calculate — given a 

 fair amount of success — what he can make out of a 

 new variety that at first sight seemed to him so dear, 

 and not only will he, with care, obtain blooms before 



