GRAFTING 



393 



GRAFTING 



four buds, one of which should, where possible, be at the 

 lower end, to assist in uniting it to the stock. A sloping 

 cut must now be made in the scion : this cut must 

 correspond with that on the stock, and a slit made to 

 fit in a cleft made in the stock when heading it. This 

 slit serves to maintain the scion steadily in its place 

 until properly fastened, and is more a matter of con- 

 venience than anything else. Care must be taken that 

 the scion fits burk to bark, on one side at least ; for it is 

 not the old or existing portion of wood that forms the 

 union, but a tissue which has to be produced, just as 

 when the sides of a wound have to be reunited. This 

 power exists in the cambium layer, which lies next the 

 inner bark ; and the substance which forms the union, 

 and which Is secreted by the returning sap, is termed 

 cambium. Where the stock and scion disagree in point 

 of size, of course only one side can touch, and great care 

 should be taken in this part of the operation ; and, in 

 the case of a young scion on an old tree, some allowance 

 must be made fot the ruggedness of the bark. The scion 

 being thus adjusted, the whole is bound close, but not 

 too tightly, with a shred of bass mat, care being taken 

 that the inner barks coincide. The clay is now applied, 

 In order to keep the parts moist, and some practitioners 

 pile soil over the grafted part, when near enough the 

 ground. In all the modes of grafting it may here be 

 observed, that tht chief ground of success lies in nicely 

 fitting together some corresponding portions of the inner 

 bark of the scion and stock, 



2. Crown, called also Cleft or Wedge Grafting. This 

 is applied to various plants as well as fruits, as, for in- 

 stance, the rose, cactuses, &c. Vines, also, are fre- 

 quently grafted by this mode. As in whip grafting, it 

 accelerates the union if the bottom of the scion has a 

 bud or two. In the case of the vine, it is considered 

 necessary to let the stock grow a little before grafting ; 

 care must be taken, however, to keep some growing 

 portions on the stock, above the graft, or severe bleeding 

 would ensue. As the name indicates, a cleft, or division, 

 is made in the stock to receive the scion, which is cut 

 like a wedge ; again taking care, in case of inequality of 

 size, to make one side fit bark to bark. When the scion 

 and stock are unequal in size, both sides of the scion may 

 be brought to fit by cutting the cleft nearer to one side 

 of the crown than the other. The wound is bound over, 

 as in the other processes, with bast, and covered over 

 with clay, or grafting-wax. The camellia succeeds well 

 when grafted this way : even a single bud will make a 

 plant, provided the stocks are kept in a damp and shady 

 atmosphere for a few weeks after grafting. The stock 

 here, also, should be slightly in advance, that is, should 

 be forwarder in growing than the graft or scion. The 

 best time is just as the sap is rising. 



3. Cleft Grafting, as it is carried out in gardens, is only 

 a kind of crown grafting, and is practised on stocks of 

 one or two inches in diameter, and, therefore, too large for 

 whip grafting. Cut or saw off the head of the stock 

 in a sloping form ; with a knife or chisel cleave the 

 stock at the top, making the cleft about two inches deep ; 

 keep it open by leaving in the chisel ; cut the lower end 

 of the scion into the form of a wedge, one inch and a half 

 long, and the side that is to be towards the middle of the 

 stock sloped off to a fine edge ; place the bark of the 

 thickest side of the wedge-end of the scion so as to 

 correspond exactly with the bark of the stock; take 

 away the chisel, and then the sides of the stock will 

 pinch and hold fast the scion. Two scions may be in- 

 serted, one on each side of the cleft ; but in this case the 

 top of the stock must not be cut off sloping. Bast and 

 clay must be put on as in the other modes of grafting. 



4. Saddle Grafting. The top of the stock is cut to a 

 wedge shape, and the scion or graft cleft up the middle, 

 and placed astride on the wedge of the stock ; hence the 

 name. The binding and claying are performed as in the 

 other modes, care being taken to make at least one of 

 the sides meet bark to bark. 



A modification of this mode is practised in some of 

 our cider counties, where they do not hesitate to practise 

 it in the middle of summer, when the young wood has 

 become somewhat mature. The scion is chosen smaller 

 than the stock, and is cleft about three inches at the 

 lower end, so that one side is rather thicker than the 

 other. The rind of the stock is then opened on one side, 

 and the thick side of the scion introduced between the 

 bark and wood; the thinner portion is carried astride 



the stock, and down the opposite side, a slight cutting 

 having been made to receive it, on the principle of 

 making corresponding parts meet. This, though tedious, 

 is a very safe mode of grafting, inasmuch as it presents 

 a greater expanse of cambium for effecting the junction. 



5. Side Grafting. This, in general, is performed on 

 trees on which the top is required to remain, and is well 

 adapted for the insertion of new kinds of pears, or other 

 fruits, on established trees, in order to increase the col- 

 lection, or to hasten fruit-bearing. It is also adapted 

 to furnish naked portions of old shoots. It is, however, 

 not so safe a mode as some of the others. Little descrip- 

 tion is needed ; a slice is removed from the bark of the 

 stock, and a scion made to fit it. A slit is then made 

 at the top of the cut, with a tongue on the scion to in- 

 sert in the slit, and the graft is bound in the usual way. 



6. Chink or Shoulder Grafting. This is not much in 

 use in this country ; and, indeed, we see little occasion 

 for its practice. When the stock and scion are equal in 

 size, however, it offers an opportunity of gaining the 

 advantage of an extra amount of cambium in contact. 



7. Root Grafting. An old practice ; but, with regard 

 to deciduous fruit-trees, it offers no particular advantage 

 over the ordinary whip grafting, when performed near 

 to the ground. It is, perhaps, better adapted for very 

 large scions, for in many trees such may be used when 

 two or three inches diameter. When strongly bound 

 they may be soiled overhead, merely leaving a hole for 

 the bud of the scion to come through, which, in this 

 case, will rise like a sucker. 



8. Peg Grafting. This mode is now never practised in 

 England. Of these eight modes there are many modifica- 

 tions ; but they are all derived from the eight enumerated. 

 Peg grafting never having been practised by ourselves, 

 we shall only make this extract relative to it : " The 

 scion must be of the exact size of the stock ; bore a 

 hole into the centre of the stock, one and a half inch 

 deep ; cut the bottom of the scion to fit ; the edges of 

 the barks must be very smooth and fit exactly." 



General Observations. For ordinary garden purposes, 

 we think the whip, the cleft, the saddle, and the crown, 

 the most eligible modes by far. These may be said to 

 be the rule, the others are merely exceptional cases. 



In all these proceedings a few axioms or m^in prin- 

 ciples must be kept steadily in view. Of such are the 

 following : 



1. The scions of deciduous trees should be taken 

 from the parent tree some weeks before the grafting 

 season, and " heeled " (the lower ends put into the soil) 

 in some cool and shady place. This causes the stock to 

 be a little in advance of the graft, as to the rising of the 

 sap, a condition admitted on all hands to be essential. 



2. Let all the processes be performed with a very 

 clean and exceedingly sharp knife, taking care that 

 nothing, such as dirt or chips, gets between the scion 

 and the stock. 



3. Let the bandage be applied equally and firmly; 

 not so tight, however, as to cut or bruise the bark. For 

 this reason, broad strands of bast are exceedingly eligible. 



4. In selecting grafts be careful in choosing the 

 wood, avoiding, on the one hand, exhausted or bad- 

 barked scions, and, on the other, the immature, watery 

 spray which frequently springs from the old trunks of 

 exhausted or diseased trees. 



Grafting Clay, to make. Take some strong and adhesive 

 loam, approaching to a clayey character, and beat and 

 knead it until of the consistence of soft-soap. Take, 

 also, some horse-droppings, and rub them through a 

 riddle, of half-inch mesh, until thoroughly divided. Get 

 some cow-manure (the fresher the better), and mix about 

 equal parts of the three, kneading and mixing tfcem until 

 perfectly and uniformly mixed ; some pers/ins add a 

 little road-scrapings to the mass. A vesse^with very 

 finely riddled ashes must be kept by the side of the 

 grafter, and after the clay is closed round the scion the 

 hands should be dipped in the ashes : this enables the 

 person who applies the clay to close the hole with a 

 perfect finish. It must be so closed as that no air can 

 possibly enter ; and it is well to go over the whole in 

 three or four days afterwards, when, if any have rifted 

 or cracked, they may be closed. 



Grafting Wax. The following recipe has been recom- 

 mended by a first-rate authority: Take common sealing- 

 wax, any colour but green, one part ; mutton fat, one 

 part ; white wax, one part ; and honey, one-eighth part. 



