128 



THE ART OP 



the sap begins to flow, either in February, in southern 

 districts, or in March and April in later parts of the country. 

 Cleft-grafting is most frequently employed in vineyards. The 

 neck of the root is laid bare, and the stem cut off about 4 inches 

 below the surface of the soil. The more scaly the stem is, the 

 lower it should be cut, in order to reach a sound place for the 

 graft. The scions are shoots with two or three eyes, cut before- 

 hand, well-ripened, and kept in the ground in shade. They 



Vine-graft completed and earthed up. 



are cut obliquely (a, p) and inserted into the stock with the aid 

 of the chisel or grafting-knife. If the stock is not cleft quite 

 across there will be no necessity for bandaging. The applica- 

 tion of grafting-wax to the cut is not absolutely necessary. 

 The addition of a stake or prop, and the heaping up of the 

 soil as far as the highest bud of the scion, complete the opera- 

 tion. When the operation is carried on in a vineyard on a 

 large scale, a workman with a small mattock lays bare the soil 



