224 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



scion 0, commencing low enough, down the cut surface to reach the bottom of the 

 cleft in the stock, bringing it up to the height or length of the tongue. The scion so 

 prepared is represented at ^, and may need a little trimming on the outer side to take 

 off the hump as shown by the dotted line in h. It is necessary that this tongue of 

 the scion correspond with the cleft of the stock, and that the cleft in the scion be less 

 rather than greater as to width, but exactly the same in length. 



Now the scion is ready for insertion after cutting off the upper part to the top 

 bar for a strong, or to the lower bar for a weaker, stock. Introduce the tongue of 

 the scion into the cleft of the stock (P), and the tongue of the stock into the cleft of 

 the scion, which, being rather less than the tongue of the stock, will be opened a little 

 in pushing the graft into its place, whereby it will be brought more upright and 

 obtain a firmer hold of the stock. Before inserting the scion it is necessary to see 

 that all is right, the stock and scion having opposite but corresponding parts, and 

 the whole of the cut surfaces perfectly clean, as dirt is fatal to a good junction. 

 When the work is properly done the union will appear as shown at i. If too large a 

 slice has been cut off the stock, or this is naturally too large, the scion must be 

 affixed so that the barks of one side of both it and the stock are brought into 

 direct contact. This is shown in /. In no case must this junction of alburnous 

 surfaces be departed from, as it is absolutely essential to success. The scion must 

 not be inserted on the stock as shown in #, for the barks join only by a little space 

 at the bottom of the cut surfaces, and no satisfactory union can then take place. The 

 outer bark of small stocks is a little thicker than that of the scion, that of large 

 ones thicker still ; therefore the scion should stand a little within the contour of 

 the stock so that the inner barks come into exact juxtaposition, no matter where 

 the outer may be; but setting back the scion too far is equally disastrous, for a 

 scion placed in the middle of the cut of a large stock will have its bark surfaces 

 in contact with wood only, failure being the consequence. 



Bind the scion and stock firmly together, but not so violently as to damage the 

 bark of either of them. Begin the binding about the middle, first working down- 

 wards, then regularly upwards, finishing at the top; and the scion being put on 

 properly and the binding efficient, the result will be as shown in $, a section of the 

 claying being represented at I. Apply a coating of grafting wax or clay. The 

 former is the neater and effectual, but the latter is by some grafters considered better, 

 because moister, but this is not so, as the wax prevents evaporation from the wood. 



