142 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



least two buds on it. One is covered up in the ground to 

 make roots, the other is left exposed to grow into a new stem. 

 Where plants are raised in large numbers, cuttings of all 

 kinds are usually started into growth in hot-house beds. 



By grafting is meant the taking of a part of a plant and 

 fastening it on another plant in such a way that the two be- 

 come firmly united by growth. The part which is taken is 

 called the scion (sometimes it is just a bud) and the part or 

 plant to which it is grafted is called the stock. The tree fruits 

 are the ones usually grafted. Nearly all the fruit trees bought 

 from the nurseries have been grafted. The nurseryman sows 

 the seeds of trees, and when the young trees, called seedlings, 

 are large enough the variety which he wants to increase is 

 grafted on the roots. A fruit is not always grafted on the 

 same kind of stock. For example, pears may be grafted on 

 quinces, apples on crab-apples, peaches on plums. Very 

 often, however, a variety is grafted on another variety of the 

 same kind, but one which is hardier and less useful. This 

 is usually done with peaches, plums, and cherries. 



There are many ways of grafting. They can be classified 

 in three groups: budding, scion-grafting, and in-arching. 

 Budding is very extensively used for peaches and cherries. 

 In budding two slits are made on the stock through the bark 

 to the wood with a sharp knife and the bark loosened a little 

 next the slits. One of the slits is made up and down and the 

 other crosswise. A bud cut from a branch of the desired 

 variety is slipped into the slits and the bark bound down to 

 the bud by wrapping with a narrow piece of muslin ; nursery- 

 men use raffia. In cutting the bud just a small amount of 

 the surrounding bark is left attached and the cut is made 

 deep enough to take a very little of the wood just under the 



