698 



Gardening for Amateurs 



How bottle grafting is performed. 



Cleft Grafting. Very few gardeners 

 practise this method nowadays, but it had 

 great vogue in the past and it is still employed 

 in special cases. The stock is cut off short 

 as in the previous cases, then it is split up by 

 means of a chisel and wedge, until the gap is 

 about half an inch wide. The scion is cut 

 into a tapering chisel or wedge point, the 

 bark is removed from one side and then it 

 is inserted in the cleft in such a way that 

 the cambium layers of stock and scion touch. 

 The cleft stock is then allowed to press in 

 upon it (a wedge having been used to keep 

 the parts asunder) and so the graft is held 

 firm ; twine is also employed for the same 

 purpose. Two scions are always placed in the 

 cleft, one at each side ; grafting wax is 

 freely employed to cover the parts. The great 

 drawback to this method is the fact that 

 the cleft in the centre, i.e. between the two 

 scions, is left open, and this frequently leads 

 to rotting and unsuccessful work. The suc- 



smeared thickly 

 over the wound. 



Notch Grafting. This is another method 

 occasionally employed on old trees. The 

 scion is cut to a long tapering point on both 

 sides so as to form 

 a wedge, then this 

 is further reduced 

 by removing a 

 part on one side 

 until it tapers to 

 a sharp point ; a 

 notch of similar 

 size and shape is 

 cut out of the side 

 of the stock. The 

 angular point of the 

 scion is pushed into 

 the notch of the 

 stock until the 

 inner bark coin- 

 cides with that of 

 the stock, the two 

 are tied tightly to- 

 gether and wax is 



The stem of the plant in the flower pot 



Shoots prepared for is inarched upon the stem of the plant 



inarching. in the ground. 



