AND WINE MAKING. 19 



the shears are best, as only one cion is to be inserted. 

 Keep the blade of the shears on the side where the cion 

 is to join the stock, so as to prevent bruising, and make 

 a long, smooth, sloping cut, a little transversely if pos- 

 sible, as the junction will thereby become all the more 

 perfect. Then push the wedge of the cion firmly down 

 into the cleft, taking care that the inner bark or fiber 

 of stock and cion are well joined, as on this principally 

 depends the success of the operation. To open the cleft, 

 the wedges on the chisel are used if necessary. An ex- 

 pert will depend very little on these unless the stocks are 

 very heavy, but will open the cleft with knife or shears, 

 and then push down the cion to its proper place. The 

 inner side of the cion, opposite the bud, should be some- 

 what thinner, so that the stock will close firmly on it ; 

 the cion should also be inserted far enough so that the 

 bud is just above the horizontal cut on the stock. The 

 third man follows, presses a little moist earth on the 

 surface of the stock, and then hills up around the junc- 

 tion to the uppermost buds of the cion, with well-pul- 

 verized soil, taking care not to move the cion, and the 

 operation is finished. It becomes necessary sometimes 

 to tie the stock, when it is not large enough, or from 

 some defect in grafting it does not firmly hold the cion. 

 In such a case, pass a string of raffia or some other flat 

 bandage firmly around the stock and tie it, but in no 

 case use grafting wax or clay, as the strong flow of sap 

 from all the pores is apt to drown and sour the cion, 

 while without obstructing it, it will flow around the 

 stock, serving to keep the junction moist and facilitate 

 the union. As the whole operation is covered with 

 earth, there is no danger of drying up, as is sometimes 

 the case when fruit trees are top-grafted. 



A very important consideration, to insure success, is to 

 equalize the stock and cion. If, therefore, large stocks 

 are to be grafted, we must have strong, well-developed 



