GRAFTING. 



126 



GRAFTING. 



grafted on any other kind of Camellia 

 or Tea Tree, but not on any other 

 genus ; while any kind of Pyrus 

 may not only be grafted on any other 

 kind of Pyrus, but also on Crataegus, 

 Mespilus, Sorbus, Cydonia, and per- 

 haps several others. 



The primary cause is probably to 

 be found in the organisation of the 

 respective tissues of the plants, those 

 uniting which are alike ; but as this 

 can only be determined by micro- 

 scopic observation, and only then by 

 the most acute vegetable auatomists, 

 the safe rule in practice is to limit 

 our attempts at grafting to species of 

 the same genus. 



The uses of grafting are various. 

 By grafting a weak growing species or 

 variety on a strong growing kind, the 

 weak growing variety becomes more 

 vigorous; and, consequently, a large 

 and handsome plant is much sooner 

 produced than could be done by 

 layers, cuttings, or seeds. On the 

 contrary, by grafting a strong growing 

 plant on a weak, low, or slow-grow- 

 ing stock, dwarf plants are produced, 

 and thus specimens of large trees may 

 be obtained within a very limited 

 space. Plants may be propagated by 

 grafting that cannot be increased 

 readily by any other mode ; as is the 

 case with common fruit trees. The 

 shoots of seedling plants grafted on a 

 stock of several years' growth, will 

 sooner produce blosoms and fruit 

 than when left to grow on their own 

 roots. 



There are various kinds of graft- 

 ing ; but they are all founded on this 

 essential condition, viz. that the inner 

 bark of the scion should be closely 

 united to the inner bark of the stock. 

 Where the scion and the stock are of 

 the same thickness, this may be done 

 at both edges ; but where the stock 

 is thicker than the scion, it can only 

 be done at one edge, which, however, 

 is found sufficient. The kinds of 



graftiug best adapted for ladies, are 

 the common splice, or whip-grafting ; 

 slit, or cleft-grafting ; side-grafting, 

 and inarching. 



Whip, or splice-grafting, is re- 

 presented in the cut fig. 15, in which 

 a is the scion, and b the stock. In 



fig. 15. 



WHIP, OR SPLICE GRAFTING. 



this case, both scion and stock are of 

 the same thickness ; both are cut 

 slanting, so as exactly to fit ; and 

 there is a dovetail notch in the stock 

 for the scion to rest on. When the 

 scion has been perfectly fitted to the 

 stock, it is tied with a strand of 

 matting, as shown in the figure, and 

 afterwards covered with grafting-wax, 

 or grafting-clay, the modes of making 

 which will be given afterwards. There 

 are different variations of this mode of 

 grafting. Sometimes the dovetail 

 notch is omitted, and at others a 

 tongue is formed in the scion, and a 

 slit made in the stock, into which it 

 is inserted ; this tongue serving the 

 purpose of the dovetail notch, viz. to 

 keep the scion in its place. When 

 the stock is of much larger diameter 

 than the scion, the appearance of this 

 graft is, of course, quite different, and 



