148 



THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



dressing, however. The stub is then split to the depth 

 of li or 2 inches. Various styles of grafting-knife are 



used to split the stub. One 

 of the best ones is shown in 

 Fig. 168. It is commonly 

 made from an old file by a 



FIG. 168. Home-made grafting-knife. blacksmith. The blade is 



curved, so that the bark of the stub is drawn in when the 

 knife is entering, thereby lessening the danger of loosening 

 the bark. Another style of knife is illustrated in Fig. 169. 

 In this tool, the cutting edge is straight, and, being thinner 

 than the other tool, tends rather to cut the stub than to split 

 it. On the end of these knives 

 is a wedge, about 4 or 5 inches 

 long, for opening the cleft. The 

 wedge is driven into the cleft and 

 allowed to remain while the cions 



FIG. 169. Cleft-grafting-knife (x \). 



are placed. If the cleft does not open wide enough to allow the 

 cions to enter, the operator bears down on the handle. It is 

 important that the wedge stand well away from the curved 

 blade in the knife shown in Fig. 168, else it cannot be driven 

 into the stub. In Fig. 169 showing the style of knife 

 commonly seen in the market the wedge is too short for 



most efficient service. 



There are various devices 

 for facilitating the operation 

 of cleft-grafting, but none 

 of them has become pop- 

 ular. One of the best is 

 Hoit's device (Fig. 170), 

 which cuts a slot into the 

 side of the stub. The ma- 

 chine is held in place by a trigger or clamp working in notches 

 on the under side of the frame. The upper handle is then 



FIG. 170. Hoit's grafter. 



