76 



GARDENING FOR PLEASURE. 



GRAFTING. 



The Yarious methods of grafting* are too many to de- 

 scribe here. The simplest is the cleft graft. The stock is 

 sawed off, and the end cleft or split for a few inches down 

 through the center (figure 27) ; the cion (or two if the 

 stock is over an inch in diameter), with two or three 

 bnds, has its lower end smoothly cut to form a wedge a 

 trifle thicker on one side than tiie other (figure 28) ; the 

 cleft in the stock is pried 

 open by means of an iron 

 w^edge or a w^dge-shaped 

 stick, and the cion or cions 

 set with the thicker edge 

 of the wedge outward, ob- 

 serving to bring the inner 

 bark and new wood of stock 

 and cion in as close contact 

 as possible. The opening 

 wedge being withdrawn, 

 the spring of the stock will 

 hold the cions in place 

 (figure 29). The junction 

 is to be covered with graft- 

 ing wax, or w\axed cloth, taking care to completely cover 

 every wounded .portion of both stock and cion. It is by 

 this method that most of the grafting is done by farmers 

 all over the country. It is rude, but very successful. The 

 objection to it is, that it leaves too great a wound to be 

 closed over. For small stocks the whip-graft is generally 

 used. It is much easier to do it than to describe it. Stock 

 and cion should be as nearly of a size as possible. Both arc 

 cut with a similar slope, and in each slope is cut a tongue, 

 as in figure 30. A\'hen the two slopes are put together, the 

 two tongues are interlocked as in the engraving, taking 

 care that the inner bark of stock and cion come in con- 



Fig. 27. Fig. 28. Fig. 29. 



CLEFT GRAFTING. 



