Grafting large Trees. 205 



It sometimes becomes necessary to graft a very large limb ; and in 

 this case more than two scions should be' inserted, so as to have a 

 greater number of buds to receive the sap. Sometimes a cross split is 

 made for two additional grafts ; but this is objectionable as opening the 

 wood too much, and being also difficult to adjust. It is better to insert 

 two or more under the bark, b}' the method known as crown grafting, 

 which may be cut out in a year or two after they have served their pur- 

 pose. Use the large part of the grafts in the clefts, and the tips under 

 the bark. It is also well, in grafting such large stocks, to put in the 

 cleft one or two wedges of seasoned wood, to relieve the grafts from 

 too great pressure. With these precautions, we have grafted stocks 

 three inches in diameter with perfect success. They must, however, 

 be watched and protected from decay until healed. 



In crown grafting, it is commonly directed to make a single cut 

 through the bark ; but inserting the scion under bark at all thick, as it 

 is apt to be on large stocks, causes an unnecessar'y separation of the 

 bark from the stock, and therefore we recommend making two cuts as 

 far apart as the width of the scion, raising only the tongue of bark be- 

 tween them, and leaving that at the sides entirely undisturbed. It 

 makes a much neater job to cut the scions with a shoulder to rest on 

 the top of the stock when inserted, than with a straight scarf. If any 

 stock appears to be cross-grained, and difficult to split, it will be better 

 to insert all by crown grafting, and in this case those designed to be 

 ultimately retained should be good strong shoots. It has been objected 

 to this method that the grafts are in danger of blowing out ; at least it 

 is so stated in books ; but we do not recollect a single instance, among 

 hundreds of such grafts that we have seen, of the realization of this 

 fear, and believe it to be onl}' an illustration of the manner in which 

 incorrect ideas are copied by one writer from another, without taking 

 the trouble to examine into their truth. 



Our practice has been to permit all suckers to grow the first season, 

 so as to afford plenty of leaves to elaboi-ate the sap, removing them 

 early in spring, saving now and then one which may be needed to fill 

 the place of a deficient limb, to be grafted when of sufficient size. At 

 the same time, such branches as are not wanted may be cut out, and 

 any smaller limbs which are wanted to fill out the top may be grafted. 



