IG 



After splitting, the stock must be kept open for the insertion of 

 the scions, and that may be done by a small piece of wood or bone, or 

 even a chisel may be used. Something with a fairly long handle is 

 required so that a good leverage may be obtained and the crack m the 

 stock opened with ease. 



The scion may be cut from small angular wood of recent growth, 

 from the green round wood which ix slightly older or from the grey- 

 green wood of two or more years of age ; perhaps the round green is 

 the best. Tvro buds or, at most, three are siitficient on each scion. 



Cutting the scion is simple when one gets used to it. Care must 

 be taken to leave the edge of the wedge which is to come in contact 

 with the split sides of the .^tock a little thicker than the other or inner 

 edge. The scions are then inserted in the cleft so that the inner bark 



^"WJJI^,{,J 



Fig. 8. — Method of bark-gratting an old orange-sturb : a, base of scion, showing slanting 

 cut; i, method of inserting scion. (From Yearbook D. S. Dept. Agr., 1S95.) 



of file sciiiii comes in contact with the inner bark of the stock if not 

 throughout the whole length then to as great an extent as possible in 

 order to ensure a perfect union. After inserting the scions the whole 

 of the exposed surface, including the tip of the scion, must be covered 

 with some good grafting wax, which may be either purchased or made 

 at home. 



Bark or crown grafting does not require that the stock or branch 

 to be operated on shall be split at all. The scions are cut showing one 

 exposed surface only, and that is pushed under the bark of the stock, 

 which should be previously loosened for its reception so that it comes 

 in contact with the wood of the stock. Sometimes one may find that 

 the stock is not quite round in shape but that there are slight incurving 

 indentations ; these should be used where they occur as being the most 

 suitable place for a graft to be inserted. It it is difficult to insert the 

 scion under the bark then the latter may be split open with a sharp 

 knife and the scion pushed under, keeping the middle of the scion in 

 the centre of the slit. 



After the new shoots have attained a lengtli of about twenty inches 

 they should be nipped back with the finger and thumb to strengthen 



