FRUITS. CHAP. 



crown of the saw-cut, downwards, for about two inches, 

 taking care that the two sides of this split be perfectly 

 even. Hold it then open by means of a chisel or a 

 wedge (or when the stock is but a small one, your 

 knife), and insert the scion, the sharp edge going inwards, 

 and the bark-side, or razor-back, remaining outward, so 

 that, on taking out the wedge or chisel, the cleft closes 

 firmly upon the scion (plate 4. Jig. 3.), the two edges of 

 bark formed by the cleft squeezing exactly upon the two 

 edges of bark formed by the blunt razor-back. To make 

 the two barks meet precisely, is, the reader will see, the 

 only nicety in this operation ; but this is so essential 

 that the slightest deviation will defeat the purpose. In 

 this sort of grafting, the stock on which you graft is 

 generally strong enough to hold the scion close enough 

 within its cleft without the aid of binding, and then it is 

 better not to bind ; but, as it is also necessary to pre- 

 vent air circulating within the wounded parts both of the 

 stock and the scion, use grafting-clay to cover them 

 over so as effectually to exclude that air, and cover the 

 clay with a piece of coarse canvass, wetting it first and 

 then binding it on securely. In this way, the stock being 

 strong, you may insert several scions on the same head, 

 by making several different clefts and putting one scion 

 in each ; but this can only be to insure your having two to 

 succeed, for, if all the scions that you put upon one head, 

 take, you must chuse the two most eligible, and sacrifice 

 the rest, as more than two leading limbs from such head 

 ought not to be encouraged. The season for performing 

 this sort of grafting, and the mode of preparing the 

 scion, and the future treatment of the tree, are precisely 

 the same as in Tongue grafting. 



