G RAFT A GK. 



The stock or stub must be cut off squarely and smoothly with 

 a sharp and preferably fine-toothed saw. If one desires to be 

 especially careful in the operation, the 

 end of the stub, or at least two opposite 

 sides of it, may be dressed off with a 

 knife so that the juncture between the 

 bark and the wood may be more easily 

 seen. Professional grafters rarely resort 

 to this practice, however. The stub is 

 then split to the depth of an inch and a 

 half or two inches. Various styles of 

 "grafting-knife" are used to split the 

 stub. The best one is that shown in 

 Fig. 79. It is commonly made from an 

 old file by a blacksmith. The blade is 

 curved so that the bark of the stub is 

 drawn in when the knife is entering, 

 thereby lessening the danger of loosen- 

 ing the bark. Upon the end of the 

 knife is a wedge, about four or five 

 inches long, for opening the cleft. The 

 wedge is driven into the cleft and allowed 

 to remain while the cions are being 

 placed. If the cleft does not open wide 

 enough to allow the cions to enter, the 

 operator bears down on the handle of 

 the knife. The cions must be thrust down to the first bud, or 

 even deeper, and it is imperative that they fit tightly. The line 

 of separation between the bark and wood in the cion should meet 

 as nearly as possible the similar line in the stock. The cions 

 are usually set a trifle obliquely, the tops projecting outwards, 

 to ensure the contact of the cambium layers. Writers usually 

 state that it is imperative to success to have the exact lines 

 between the bark and wood meet for at least the greater part of 

 their length, but this is an error. The callus or connecting 

 tissue spreads beyond its former limits when the wounds begin to 

 heal. The most essential points are rather to be sure that the 



Fig. 77. Cleft-grafting. 



