244 PLANT PROPAGATION 



knife makes the cleft, an upward one loosens the knife, 

 a second down below drives home the wedge. The mal- 

 let is then dropped, the cions placed, the wedge removed, 

 and so on. The third man follows to do the waxing. 



From time to time during spring, summer and fall, the 

 grafts should be examined, and those which have 

 loosened the wax and exposed the wood should be re- 

 waxed to prevent entrance of decay. This should be 

 repeated if necessary the following year or until the 

 wound has completely healed. Probably wax is better 

 than any other wound dressing. 



314. Other uses of cleft grafting. While cleft grafting 

 is most used in working over trees in orchards, it has 

 other uses. Established grape vines are often cleft 

 grafted below ground, the completed work not being 

 waxed, and often rooted grape cuttings are similarly 

 treated. In these cases the stocks should have clefts 

 cut rather than split because of the gnarly wood. Should 

 the cion fit too loosely, it must be bandaged or tied to 

 hold it in place. 



In grafting fleshy plants, such as cactus (329), cleft 

 grafting is popular, the cion being held in position by a 

 spine or a pin before being wound with bast or raffia. 

 No waxing is needed. Peony roots, summer grafted, are 

 similarly handled, but bound with wire because raffia or 

 other vegetable tier quickly decays when buried in the 

 ground up to the top bud. Dahlias are generally side 

 grafted, but sometimes cleft grafted. 



315. Veneer grafting, from the standpoint of union of 

 stock and cion, is perhaps the ideal method of grafting, 

 because the parts unite quickly and evenly and make 

 perfect unions. As handled in America it resembles the 

 English side graft, but has a longer stock tongue. Its 

 chief application is to potted plants in greenhouses be- 

 tween November and March. Stocks which have been 

 grown in the open air during summer are potted between 

 late August and early October and placed in cool houses 



