92 



INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY 







living plant so that the cambium layer of each will be in con 

 tact with that of the other (fig. 75). The plant into which 

 the stem is inserted is called the stock, and the portion of 

 shoot which is set into the stock is called the scion, or graft. 

 There are many kinds of woody plants which may readily be 

 grafted, but the process is of practical im- 

 portance mainly for the grower of apples 

 and pears. Various plans are adopted in 

 different fruit-growing regions. One of the 

 commonest methods for the propagation of 

 apples is root grafting. Seedling trees a year 

 old are dug in the autumn and the roots 

 grafted with one-year-old scions of desired 

 I rs varieties of apple trees, each cut to the 



\ A 1 1 length of about six inches. The grafted 



i fi I/ roots ' wound about the joined surfaces with 



' A* '" waxed cord, are packed in sand in a cool 

 and not too dry cellar and left until spring. 

 By that time the cambium layers of root 

 and scion have united and the roots are 

 ready to plant. Tongue grafting is practiced 

 in the spring either with young seedlings 



or with twigs of larger trees (fig. 75). Top 

 FIG. 75. Grafting * 



grafting consists in cutting on limbs one or 



At the left, scion and J . ^ . 



stock are shown ready two mches in diameter, splitting tor a short 

 to be united; at the distance the portion remaining attached to 



right, they are joined L . 



and ready to be cov- the tree, and inserting at each part ot the 

 ered with grafting sp ii^ w here it crosses the cut surface, a 



wax. After Percival *, -, 11 



small scion, and then completely covering 

 all exposed parts with grafting wax. Root grafting has the 

 advantage of resulting in a tree with trunk and branches 

 wholly of the desired variety of apple. Tongue grafting of 

 small branches does not interrupt the growth of the tree and 

 is done with very little trouble. Top grafting is mainly 

 resorted to in order to renew old trees that are not bearing 

 the desired variety of apple. 



