88 



THE NURSERY-BOOK. 



top-grafting of old trees. It is in common use on soft and 



fleshy stocks, as cactuses, and various fleshy roots. Fig. 84 shows 



a cleft-graft on cactus. The cion is held 



in place with a pin or cactus spine, and it 



is then bound with raffia or other cord. 



Waxing is not necessary. Fig. 85 illus- 

 trates a cleft root-graft of peony. The 



cleft in the thick root is cut with a knife, 



and the stock is bound up securely, usu- 

 ally with wire, as cord, unless waxed, rots 



off too quickly. Wax is not used, as the 



graft is buried to the top bud. The peony 



is grafted in summer. Dahlias are often 



grafted after the same fashion, although 



some operators prefer, in such fleshy sub- 

 jects, to cut out a section from the side of 



the stock to receive the cion, rather than 



to make a cleft. Hollyhocks, ipomoeas, 



gloxinias and other thick-rooted plants 



may be similarly treated. 



BARK-GRAFTING. A style of grafting 



suited to large trees is shown in Fig. 86. 



The stock is not cleft, but the cions are 



pushed down between the bark and wood. 



The cion must be cut very thin so that they will not 

 break the bark on the stock. Fig. 87 represents a 

 good style of cion. It is cut to a shoulder upon either 

 side. Several cions can be placed in a single stub, 

 and as no splitting is necessary, it is a useful method 

 for very large limbs. It is especially useful in repair- 

 ing trees when very large branches are broken off. 

 A dozen or more cions may be set about the broken 

 portion, after it is dressed off, and a few of them 

 Fig. 84. may be allowed to remain after the wound has been 



Cleft-graft healed. Bark-grafting can be performed to advantage 

 of cactus. on i v wnen the bark peels readily. The cions should 



be held in place by a tight bandage, as seen in Fig. 86, and then 



Thomas , 

 ing-knife. 



