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CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



thin, and soon becomes as hard as stone. Thus it is valuable not 

 only for grafting, but for covering the scars caused by removing 

 limbs in pruning. When bench grafting is done by nurserymen, 

 of course all appliances are arranged for the speediest work, and 

 wonderful results are attained by one man and a helper, even as 

 many as three thousand root grafts of apple in ten hours. We are, 

 however, merely discussing home practices. 



Cleft Grafting. Where various-sized stocks are to be used, as 

 will be the case with a bunch of home-grown seedlings, different 

 styles of grafting must be used. Where the stock is much larger 

 than the scion, as is apt to be the case with California seedlings, 

 the cleft graft will be simplest. Cut off the top smoothly above the 

 root crown and then split the top of the stock, as shown in the 

 engraving. Then prepare the scion by whittling it to wedge-shape 

 at the lower end. Open the slit in the stock with a little wedge and 

 insert the scion so that its inner bark matches with the inner bark 

 of the stock, something as shown in the second figure. It does not 

 matter whether the outside of the scion is flush with the outside 

 of the stock or not ; the vital point is to get the growing layers, 

 just inside the barks, in contact with each other, and, to be sure of 

 this, it may be well to give the scion a slight diagonal pitch, for if 

 the barks cross each other, this desirable contact is sure to be 

 made. It is well to make the side of the wedge of the scion which 

 goes nearer to the center of the stock a little thinner than the 

 outside. 



A scion for a root graft is cut longer than for use in the top of 

 the tree, for in planting, the point of grafting is placed a little 

 way under-ground. Such scions are usually cut with four or five 

 buds. After the scion is in place, it only remains to wrap it closely 

 with a piece of the waxed cloth or paper, in such a way that all the 

 cut surfaces are covered, extending the wrapper a little below the 

 split in the root. Paint over the wrapper with warm wax put on 

 with the brush, put a little on the top of the scion, and the graft is 

 complete. 



Side Grafting. Another method which prevents splitting the 

 stock is the side graft, shown in the accompanying figure. It con- 

 sists in bending the stock to one side and cutting in diagonally 

 with a thin-bladed, sharp knife, a little more than half-way through 

 the stock. Into this open cut insert the scion so that the inner 

 barks touch; then allowing the stock to straighten up, holds the 

 scion firmly. Covering with a wax band drawn tight makes a 

 good job, and such grafts make as good growth as the buds set 

 the previous summer. This method can be used with stems or 

 branches up to an inch in diameter, and is essentially the same, as 

 will be mentioned later, as a side graft for working over old trees. 

 In this style of grafting, a stub of three inches or more may be left 



