28 



PLANT CULTURE 



a successful union between them. But plants are sometimes suc- 

 cessfully grafted on stocks of different genera of the same order. 

 The Syringa on the Ligustrum is a familiar example. 



Cleft Grafting. This method of grafting is used principally 

 upon large stocks which are cut off perfectly level. With a grafting 

 tool, a large knife or cleaver, the stock is split. The cions about 

 three eyes long are then cut in the form of a perfectly even-sided 

 wedge at the base and cut off the top just above a bud The cleft 

 is opened and the cions are inserted, one on each side. Be sure, in 

 all grafting, that the layers between the bark and wood of both 

 stock and cion are in contact. 



Wax all cut surfaces with a grafting wax, which may be made 

 by melting together 4 parts of resin, 2 parts of beeswax and i part 

 of beef tallow. When thoroughly melted pour in a pail of cold 

 water and as it cools gradually pull it like molasses candy until it 

 becomes the color of Manila paper. 



Fig. 4 — Cleft Grafting 

 The above illustration shows in detail how cleft grafting is performed — usually on large 

 Apple and Pear trees. On the left are the cions with tapering cut; on the right, the 

 branches cleft or opened, also showing the waxing over. Cleft grafting is usually per- 

 formed just before the trees start into growth in the Spring. To be sure that the 

 cions used are dormant, they are usually collected in late Winter and stored in damp 

 sand or sawdust. 



