78 THE BOOK OF THE APPLE 



mencing at the corners just below where it joins the 

 transverse incision. Take great care that the knife 

 handle does not penetrate beneath the inner bark, but 

 press it against the latter, slipping it along. When the 

 bark is sufficiently raised, carefully insert the bud 

 beneath, taking hold of it by the remaining portion of 

 the leaf stalk. It must not be forced down, but intro- 

 duced as gently as can be, otherwise there will be 

 danger of injuring the vital cambium layer, where 

 the union is effected. Afterwards tie the bud around 

 with matting, to keep it in position and to prevent 

 the entrance of air. Tie both above and below the 

 "eye," leaving this of course free. An excellent indi- 

 cation as to whether or not the bud has taken is afforded 

 by the petiole (leaf stalk). If this, a few weeks after- 

 wards, falls completely away, one may be fairly certain 

 that the bud has taken ; if, on the other hand, it withers 

 away, one may be almost equally sure that the operation 

 has not been successful. The buds that have taken will 

 commence to grow in the following spring, and then 

 the stocks must be cut back to within a few inches 

 of where the buds are inserted. Many nurserymen, if 

 they find that the bud has not taken, graft the same 

 stock in the following spring, instead of waiting to bud 

 again in summer. 



Grafting consists in so attaching one shoot to another 

 that they unite and grow together. There are many 

 different methods of grafting, but that most usually 

 employed in the grafting of apple trees is tongue or 

 splice grafting. This is done in the month of March, 

 with firm growth of the preceding year. First cut 

 the stock in a sloping direction, and so that the cut 

 may terminate just above a bud if possible. " Great 

 care must be taken that the scions fit the stocks," 

 is the recommendation of one of our large nursery 

 growers of apple trees, and one that should be closely 



