Grafting large Trees. 203 



limbs are to be cut : it is plain that these should be chosen so that the 

 general outline of the tree may be presei^ved, and it is especially impor- 

 tant that no limb should be allowed to project far beyond, and, still 

 more, to rise much higher than those adjacent, for it will certainly grow 

 more strongly, and produce an ill-balanced tree. It should also be re- 

 membered that the grafts in the main stem and the upper branches will 

 attract a greater portion of the sap than the lower ones ; and therefore 

 the former should be cut shorter in proportion than the latter, to coun- 

 teract the effects of this propensity. When the whole tree is not to be 

 grafted in one season, the commencement must be made at the upper 

 part ; for if we began with the lower limbs, the grafts would make 

 scarcely any growth the first year. 



It is difficult to lay down rules such as shall be exact guides for this 

 part of our work, and consequently it is here that we see the most fre- 

 quent failures ; but by practice in the study of the habit of trees, the 

 necessary judgment is soon acquired. 



The method of inserting the grafts in the limbs of trees most com- 

 monly used is that known as cleft grafting. The beginner is not quite 

 so sui'e of success as in grafting under the bark ; but the necessary skill 

 is soon acquired, and all the tedious trouble of tying in the grafts is 

 avoided. One of the most common sources of failure with this method 

 is from making the wedge part of the scion too short, particularly for 

 large stocks. The wedge should be made of such length and shape as 

 to fill the split as tar as opened, touching the sides at all points. If you 

 do not succeed the first time, take out the scion and try again. You 

 will soon be able to cut your grafts so skilfully that you can prepare 

 enough for a dozen stocks at once, with the certainty of their fitting. 

 If the split is not perfectly clean and smooth, it must be trimmed out 

 with a sharp, thin-bladed knife, removing any fibres and roughnesses 

 that would prevent the proper insertion of the grafts. A thin, broad, 

 flat blade should be used for sharpening the scion, and the cuts should 

 be made smooth, and in a single plane. It is commonly directed to 

 make the bark of the scion and stock coincide in the inner surface ; but 

 this is hardly possible, both from the difficulty of seeing them in the 

 narrow splits and from the fact that the scion, if cut with an eye on the 

 wedge, as it should be, is apt to be cun-ed, especially in pears, while 



