102 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Preparation of Scions. A scion may consist of one bud or of two 

 buds. There are many advantages in using one bud, the chief of which 

 is that it makes it possible to have every scion the same length what- 

 ever the length of the internodes. With two-bud scions it is impossible 

 to avoid a difference of 2 or 3 inches in the length, owing to the varia- 

 tions in the distances between the buds. If the scions are of the same 

 length it is possible to have all the unions at the same distance below 

 the surface in the nursery. This is a most important point. The only 

 advantage of two-bud scions is that in ground which bakes on top it 

 is possible to have the top bud above the surface of the ground and 

 yet have the union sufficiently deep to prevent drying out. Where the 

 soil does not bake the scions may be covered up completely and one 

 bud is sufficient. 



The scions should be cut with about 2% inches of internode below 

 the bud and at least % inch of internode above the top bud. If cut too 

 close, especially with blunt pruning shears, there is danger of injuring 

 the bud. A sharp knife is the best tool for cutting scions. 



Grading the Cuttings. For the best results the stock should be of 

 exactly the same diameter as the scion. If they differ much they may 

 unite, but the union will usually be imperfect. The more nearly they 

 match in size the more perfect the unions and the larger the percentage 

 of first-class grafts. 



If the cuttings are not sorted beforehand the grafter loses a great 

 deal of time in looking for scions to fit his stocks. A good deal of this 

 time may be saved if the cuttings are sorted by eye into three lots- 

 large, medium, and small before commencing to graft. This division, 

 however, is not fine enough, and the grafter will still have to waste 

 much time in selection. 



It is not practicable to grade the cuttings more accurately than this 

 by eye, and some mechanical gauge or calibrator is necessary for greater 

 accuracy. Several forms have been used in practice with success. 



The commonest form is the notch grader shown at the top of Fig. 4. 

 This consists of a brass plate 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, in 

 which are made six or more notches. Each of these notches differs? 

 from the next nearest by one sixteenth of an inch, and they usually 

 vary from four sixteenths, the smallest, to ten sixteenths, the largest. 

 By the use of this grader the cuttings may be separated into eight or 

 more sizes. These sizes differ from each other by the same absolute 

 amount, i. e., one sixteenth of an inch, but the relative difference in 

 the smaller sizes is greater than in the larger sizes. That is to say, 

 size No. 1 is four sixteenths of an inch in diameter, or four fifths the 

 size of No. 2, which is five sixteenths of an inch, while size No. 7 is ten 

 sixteenths of an inch in diameter, or ten elevenths of size No. 8. The 



