70 CULTIVATION OF THE MULBERRY. 



arid liber, so that, approximating at their extremities, they 

 form an acute angle. 



Then a graft, five inches long, and nearly as large as one's 

 finger, must be taken, and cut in the form of a prism for 

 about an inch and a half of the lower end. Warm it in the 

 mouth for a moment, then insert it in the cleft which has 

 been made in the side of the stock. 



It is very important that the union of the two parts should 

 be precise, in order that the wood and bark of the old tree 

 may coincide perfectly with the wood and bark of the graft, 

 (which is destined to improve or renovate it.) The same 

 stock may thus receive several cleft grafts, when its size 

 will permit. 



Take then fresh cow dung, well mixed with earth, and 

 envelope the graft ; afterwards it must be firmly wound 

 round with green bark of the mulberry tree. This is not 

 all ; the ligature of bark must be covered with the same 

 composition as before ; afterwards the graft must be covered 

 with five inches of moist earth ; finally, thorny branches 

 must be placed around the ball of earth to protect the graft. 



When the new shoots have protruded through the damp 

 earth, and are one or two feet in length, all may be cut off, 

 except two or three, and these should be supported by props. 



Siu-kuuang-ki says : The depth of the cleft should be 

 in proportion to the strength of the tree, and the size of the 

 graft. It is important that the bark and wood of the graft 

 coincide exactly with the bark and wood of the stock ; but 

 there is one thing more important still ; it is the perfect cor- 

 respondence of those parts which communicate the sap. 



When large mulberry trees are to be grafted, it is better 

 to use the cleft graft, or the graft by insertion. For the 

 small mulberry trees, the best grafts are those like the ear of 



