Top-Grafiing Me:hods. 87 
better to use limbs than to graft in the trunk, if the old trees are 
of good size. The following description, which the writer bor- 
rows in part from some unknown source, will serve to guide 
novices in the matter :— 
The outfit necessary for doing the work consists of a small, fine saw, a 
regular grafting knife, or a pocket-knife with a long, straight, sharp blade, 
wax, light mallet, and a hard-wood narrow wedge. After selecting the 
limb to be grafted, saw it off—your own judgment will guide you as to best 
point, but betore the saw gets quite through the limb, cut the bark on the 
under side of the limb to prevent the liability of peeling down. 
Next split the stub with knife and mallet and insert the wedge in the 
center of the cleft to hold it open. It is usual to cut the scion with two 
buds, but sometimes better results are had by using scions with but a single 
bud. Whittle the scion wedge-shape, so that it fits nicely down into the 
cleft. To do this, hold itin the left hand with the bud at the ball of the 
thumb, then cut the side toward you; as will be natural, turn it over, and 
cut opposite side in the same way, making the wedge a very little thinner 
on the edge opposite the bud than the other. This will insure a firm 
pressure at the points where the bark of scion and stock meet. 
When set, the bud of the scion will be on line with the outer long 
portion of the graft. The point to be closely observed in adjustment is to 
have the inner or sap bark of the scion connected with the same of the 
stock. If a trifle too far in, or too far out, the work will be a failure. 
Some people set the graft a little out at the top anda little in at the bottom, 
so as to be sure of a connection at the crossing-point, but there will be 
firmer hold if there isa union the whole length. Our rule has been to have 
the wood of the scion come exactly even with the surface of the stock 
wood, and we seldom fail in getting firm adhesions and solid limbs, after 
years of growth. 
After the scions are set, and two should be put into one limb if large, 
carefully withdraw the wedge and apply the wax, so that every part of the 
wood and bark cut and split is well coated. In doing this use extreme care 
not to move the scions at all from their sittings. 
Most grafting over of old trees is done by this method, 
using one or another of the wax preparations described upon a 
preceding page. If the cut surface of the stock and the split is’ 
thoroughly waxed over as low as the bark is split, there is 
usually little trouble with the growth of the scion and the heal- 
ing over of the stock. In the warmer valleys in the interior, the 
sun is often hot enough to melt the wax and cause it to run and 
bare the wood surfaces. This is prevented by dusting the wax 
thoroughly with brick-dust well powdered; but, by a little ex- 
perimenting with the recipes already given, one can secure a 
wax which will stand any heat likely to be encountered. 
For grafting over trees by working upon the limbs, the 
neatest and surest work can be done by methods of grafting 
which do not require the splitting of the stock. There are 
various ways of doing this. One method is shown in the en- 
graving on the next page, and consists in cutting the scion as 
shown, and inserting it beneath the raised bark and then bind- 
ing well with waxed bands, the preparation of which has already 
been described. 
