GKAFTING. 



53 



out-door grafting, such as that upon fruit-trees, the cions 

 are best if cut in the fall and preserved in sand or saw- 

 dust in the cellar during the winter ; though with very 

 hardy sorts this is not essential, they should be cut before 

 any swelling of the buds takes place. The operation suc- 

 ceeds best when the buds on the cion are perfectly dor- 

 mant, and those on the stock have swollen and about to 

 open. 



GRAFTING. 



The various methods of grafting are too many to describe 

 here ; the simplest is the cleft graft ; the stock is sawed 

 off and the end cleft or split for a few inches down 

 through the center, (fig. 16) ; the cion, (or two if the 

 stock is over an inch in 

 diameter), with two or three 

 buds, has its lower end 

 smoothly cut to form a 

 wedge a trifle thicker on 

 one side than the other, 

 (fig. 17) ; the cleft in the 

 stock is pried open by means 

 of an iron wedge or a wedge- 

 shaped stick, and the cion 

 or cions set with the thicker 

 edge of the wedge outward, 

 observing to bring the in- 

 ner bark and new wood 

 of stock and cion in as 

 close contact as possible; the opening wedge being 

 withdrawn, the spring of the stock will hold the cions 

 in place, (fig. 18) ; the junction is to be covered with 

 grafting wax, or waxed cloth, taking care to completely 

 cover every wounded portion of both stock and cion. It 

 is by this method that most of the grafting is done all 

 over the country ; it is rude but very successful ; the ob- 



Fig. 16. Fig. 17. Fig. 18. 



CLEFT GRAFTING. 



