GRAFTING THE WALNUT 443 



In sawing large branches, it is necessary to make two cuts, the first 

 being some distance above or outside the final cut, to prevent splitting the 

 stub, or the trunk, when the severed part falls. 



The scion should always be of solid, mature wood, that is, with as 

 small pith as can be had readily, and must have good living buds. Each 

 scion should be about one-quarter inch in diameter and have at least two 

 buds. The growth having buds close together is best, as shorter scions 

 can be used. 



To receive the scions use a heavy butcher knife and mallet to split the 

 stubs, placing the knife across the stub to one side of the pith, as if a chip 

 one-half to five-eighths inch thick was to be taken off. Then depress the 

 handle of the knife to an angle of 30 to 45 degrees and split the edge down 

 to 2^ to 3 inches, allowing the knife to reach the farther side of the stub, 

 but not making the split entirely across the stub. Open the cleft with an 

 iron wedge ^ to ^-inch wide and thickest on one edge, placing the thickest 

 edge toward the outside. 



Trim the cleft in the stub with a sharp knife so it will be smooth. Then 

 cut the scion so as to fit perfectly and place it so the inner bark (the cam- 

 bium layer) of both will be on the same line, or at least will cross twice, 

 then remove the wedge and put hot wax over all the cuts on both stock 

 and scion at once. 



The scions should be examined frequently and any excessive flow of 

 sap wiped off, and the stub recovered with wax as soon as dry. Excessive 

 flow of sap for several weeks will cause the loss of the scions, as the callus 

 can not form in water. This may be controlled by boring one-fourth inch 

 holes in the body of the tree near the ground. Three or four holes four 

 inches deep will be sufficient to control the flow of the largest trees. No 

 damage is done to the body of the tree, as the holes soon grow over. 



For grafting in the stems of seedlings or in the smaller branches 

 of young trees a side graft as described in Chapter IX is success- 

 fully used, as are also several styles of cleft grafting. One which 

 is used by Mr. R. Wiltz and others at San Jose consists in splitting 

 a short stub of a small branch which has been cut about four inches 

 from its attachment to a larger branch of stem. In this case the 

 split can only extend to the closely knit wood in the crotch and the 

 scion is pushed down strongly to the bottom of such a split and it 

 is held tightly. The two pieces of the deep split are not cut away 

 but are allowed to protect the short scion which is between them, 

 and if buds start on these pieces they are allowed to grow a little 

 to keep the stock from dying back. When the scion starts well 

 they are removed. 



A method of side grafting (so called because the stock is not cut 

 across but a cleft made in the side of it) has been very successfully 

 practiced by Mr. Weinshank, of Whittier, both with nursery seed- 

 lings and on branches of large trees. His work has shown eighty 

 to ninety per cent successful in the nursery and even more on 

 branches of large trees. The following is a condensed description 

 of the method : 



The scion is prepared as for a whip graft (Chapter IX), cutting 

 across obliquely and making another cut right straight down with 

 the grain in the scion. Then, instead of cutting the stock completely 

 across like the scion, just simply make a little cut on the side. Do 

 not cut into the pith of the wood at all. Then, place the two to- 

 gether by pushing the tongue of the scion (made by the cut on 

 its shorter side) into the lip cut in the stock; tie with a string and 



