228 



I'LAKT I'Kdi'ACjATION 



until llicy li;i\c united. In outdoor practice waxiny and 

 staking arc usually necessary to prevent drj-ing and 

 working loose. After union is complete the base of the 

 cion and the top of the stock are cut awa}'. 



While this is undoubtedly the original or natural 

 method of grafting (since all grafts in the forest are 

 formed in this way either between two trees or two 

 limbs of the same tree), it has comparatively limited 

 application in business horticulture, because other 

 methods are less cumbersome and more economical of 

 time and space. It is used, however, in Europe and else- 

 where in the making of cordons, espaliers, etc. In 

 orchards where Y-crotches have been allowed to form it 

 is also useful in establishing living braces between the 

 arms of the Y. For ornamental purposes it has been used 

 in the Boboli gardens at Florence, Italy, where an avenue 

 100 yards long has been arched over by European oaks 



FIG. 187— POPULAR GRAFTING METHODS 



1, Bridge or repair graft, cions at left; 2, cleft graft. A, cions, B, cross 

 section showing insertion of cions at opposite ends of cleft in stocl;; c, transverse 

 section showing vertical position of cions; d, finished graft. 



