THE CULTURE 



01? 



ERUIT TREES 



GEAFTING. 



THE PRINCIPAL METHODS OF GRAFTING TREES. — INSTRUMENTS, LIGA- 

 TURES, AND MASTICS, OR GRAFTING CLAY. 



Nearly all fruit trees are propagated by grafting. It 

 is necessary, therefore, to carefully study the practice 

 of this operation ; but we must limit our attention to 

 those kinds of grafting that are really useful. 



For the practice of grafting it is necessary to be 

 provided with the following instruments. First a 

 hand-saw (fig. 1), to be used in cutting the stems and 

 branches that are too large to be cut with the knife. 

 The saw-blade should be thin towards the back, A, 

 and the teeth, B, wide, for cutting through green 

 wood. A pruning-knife also is required for cutting 

 the smaller stems and branches that are intended to 

 receive the graft. This instrument will be described 

 further on (p. 42). 



A small wood mallet is also necessary to strike the 

 back of the pruning-knife in making slits in thick 

 stems for cleft grafting ; also a small wooden wedge 



B 



