PROPAGATION BY BUDDING AND GRAFTING 137 



description, is that which considers methods of making the 

 union. Some of these kinds of grafting are catalogued on 

 pages 118 and 119. The most important methods of grafting 

 are now to be considered; but almost endless modifications 

 may be made in the details of the operations. The union of 

 the cion with the stock, like the union of the bud and the stock, 

 depends on the growing together of the cambial tissue of the 

 two. It is essential, therefore, that the tissue lying between 

 the outer bark and the wood in the cion should come closely 

 in contact with the similar tissue of the stock. 



Cions are cut in fall or winter, or any time before the buds 

 swell in spring. Only the previous year's growth is used in all 

 ordinary cases, but in maples and some other trees, older wood 

 may be taken. In the grafting of peaches which is rarely 

 practiced the best cions are supposed to be those with a small 

 portion of two-year-old wood at the lower end. This old wood 

 probably serves no other than a mechanical purpose, as the 

 recent wood is soft and pithy. It is a common opinion that 

 cions are worthless if cut in freezing weather, but this is un- 

 founded if the species is hardy. 



The cions are stored in sand, moss or sawdust in a cool cellar, 

 or they may be buried in a sandy place. Or sometimes, when 

 a few are wanted for top-grafting, they are thrust into the 

 ground beside the tree into which they are to be set the follow- 

 ing spring. If the cions are likely to start before the spring 

 grafting can be undertaken, they may be placed in an ice- 

 house. Only well-formed and mature buds should be used. 

 Sometimes flower-buds are inserted for the purpose of fruiting 

 a new or rare variety the following year, but unless particular 

 pains is taken to nurse such a cion, it is likely to give only very 

 indifferent results. 



In practice, only three kinds of grafting need be much con- 

 sidered. These are whip-grafting, veneer-grafting and cleft- 

 grafting. 



