PROPAGATION BY BUDDING AND GRAFTING 149 



thrown over to the right, forcing the knife into the stub. This 



is a Calif ornian device. A very good grafting-knife for small 



stocks or trees in nursery row is the Thomas 



knife shown in Fig. 171. The larger arm is 



made entirely of wood. At its upper end 



is a grooved part, into which the blade 



closes. This blade can be made from a 



steel case-knife, and it should be about 2-J- 



inches long. It is secured to an iron handle. 



The essential feature of this implement is 



the draw cut, which is obtained by setting 



the blades and the pivot in just the posi- 

 tion shown in the figure. The stock is cut 



off by the shears, and the cleft is then 



made by turning the shears up and making 



a vertical cut. The cleft, therefore, is cut 

 instead of split, insuring a tight 

 fit of the cions. This tool is 

 said to be specially useful on FIG", m. Thomas' 

 hard and crooked grained stocks. grafting-knife. 



In cleft-grafting, the cions must be thrust down 

 to the first bud, or even deeper, and it is impera- 

 tive that they fit tightly. The line of separation 

 between the bark and wood in the cion should 

 meet as nearly as possible the similar line in the 

 stock. The cions are usually set a trifle obliquely, 

 the tops projecting outwards, to insure the con- 

 tact or crossing of the cambium layers. Writers 

 often state that it is imperative to have the 



Rooted grape exact lines between the bark and wood meet for 



cutting cleft- a t least the greater part of their length, but this 

 (x ^' is an error. The callus or connecting tissue 



spreads beyond its former limits when the wounds begin to 



heal. The most essential points are rather to be sure that 



