PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING 219 



388. Grafting cord is made by soaking balls of com- 

 mon wrapping twine in melted grafting-wax. Cord which 

 is not waxed is frequently used also. 



389. Grafting paper is made by painting thin ma- 

 nilla paper with melted grafting-wax. For painting, the 

 paper is preferably spread out on a board of the exact 

 size of the sheet ; to prevent too rapid cooling of the 

 wax the board should be heated. The wax should be 

 heated hot enough to spread easily, but not so hot that it 

 is absorbed by the paper. Thin muslin or calico is often 

 used instead of paper. 



Grafting paper and grafting cloth should be stored in 

 a cool, moist place to preserve their adhesiveness. 



390. Tongue-grafting. — Many kinds of cion grafting 

 slightly differing in details have been described, but the 

 more important are tongue-grafting, cleft-grafting and 

 side-grafting. 



In tongue-grafting (whip-grafting) the cion and stock 

 are both cut off with a sloping cut, about an inch long, 

 after which a tongue is formed on each by splitting the 

 wood longitudinally a short distance (Figs. 110, 111). 

 The cion is best cut behind a bud, as shown. 



In joining, the tongue of the cion is inserted into the 

 split of the stock, so that the cambium line of the cion 

 and stock (68) coincide on one edge, and the two are 

 crowded together with considerable force, after which 

 the joint is wrapped with a narrow strip of grafting 

 paper or grafting cloth (389), or wound with waxed or 

 unwaxed cord. 



Tongue-grafting is generally used when the stock is 

 little if any thicker than the cion. It is much used by 

 nurserymen in certain localities in grafting the apple 

 and some other fruits upon roots (root-grafting, 391). 



