336 
GRAFTING AND BUDDING. 
should have from three to six eyes on it, but six 
will, in all cases, be quite enough, as there is no 
use in an extraordinary length of scion; but, on 
the contrary, it may be productive of much mis¬ 
chief, by overloading the head with young shoots 
and leaves as summer advances, and thereby ma¬ 
king it more subject to accident from high winds 
or heavy rains. 
The Operation of Grafting is performed many 
ways, though none of them differs from any of the 
others in the main principle , which is that of bring¬ 
ing the under or inner bark of the scion to bear upon 
the same bark of the stock. The sap of the stock 
flows upward toward the scion, and it will flow 
on into the scion, provided it find no interruption. 
Here, therefore, is the nicety—to fit those two 
barks so closely, the one upon the other, that the 
sap shall proceed onward into the scion, just as it 
would have done into the amputated branch, caus¬ 
ing the scion to supplant the branch. I shall only 
mention and illustrate two modes of grafting, viz., 
tongue-grafting and cleft-grafting. These two 
it is necessary for me to speak of separately, and 
thoroughly to describe, for they are not both of 
them applicable in all cases ; the former being 
used in grafting on small-sized stocks and small 
branches of trees, and the latter on large stocks 
and large branches. 
Tongue-Grafting.—(Fig. 58.) 
Tongue-Grafting — Suppose you have your 
stock of the proper age for grafting, you cut it off 
at three or four inches from the ground, and with 
a very sharp, straight, and narrow-bladed graft¬ 
ing-knife, cut a thin strip of bark and wood up¬ 
ward, from about two inches below your already 
shortened stock. Make this cut at one pull of the 
knife, inserting the edge rather horizontally, and 
when it has gone through the bark and into the 
wood a little short of the middle, pull straight up¬ 
ward, (2, a, b ;) then at rather less than half way- 
down this cut, and with the blade of your knife 
across the cut, and downward, cut a very thin 
tongue of not more than three eighths of an inch 
long, (2, c.) Proceed nearly in the same way 
with the bottom part of the scion ; cut first a nar¬ 
row strip of wood and bark out, but not putting 
the knife in horizontally, as you have done with 
regard to the stock, (at 2, a,) nor bringing it out 
straight to the end, to make a shoulder or angle, 
as you have done at (2, a b ;) but make a sloping 
cut (1, a b,) of about the same length as the cut in 
the stock, or rather a little less if anything ; then 
make a tongue (1, c) to correspond with that of 
the stock, but recollect that this must be cut up¬ 
ward instead of downward; then place the scion 
upon the stock, inserting the tongue of the scion 
into the tongue of the slock. Bring the four 
edges of bark, that is, the two edges of the cut in 
the top of the stock, and the two corresponding 
edges of the cut in the bottom of the scion, to 
meet precisely; or, if the scion.be, in diameter, 
a smaller piece of wood than the stock, so that its 
two edges of bark can not both meet those of the 
stock, then let only one meet, but be sure that one 
meets precisely. But observe, that this can never 
be unless the first cut in the stock and that in the 
scion (2, a b,) and (1 , a b,) be as even as a die, and 
performed with a knife scarcely less sharp than a 
razor. Take a common pruning-knife, and attempt 
to make a cut of this kind, and you will find when 
you come to fit the scion on, that, squeeze them 
them together as you may, you will, in most ca¬ 
ses, see light between the parts of the stock and 
the scion that you are trying to join, so effectually, 
as that the sap shall flow out of the one into the 
other, unconscious of any division at all! But I 
will not suppose anybody so ungain (as 
it is called in Hampshire) as to go about 
so nice an operation as this without be¬ 
ing prepared with the proper instruments 
for performing it; and therefore, I now 
suppose the scion put on properly, and 
presenting the appearance as in (3,«.) But 
this is not all; the operation is not yet 
complete. The two parts thus joined 
must be bound closely to one another 
with matting, or bass, as the gardeners 
call it, (4.) A single piece tied on to 
the stock, will, if well done, almost in¬ 
sure the junction; but lest parching 
winds should come and rip up all vege¬ 
tation, it is usual to put on besides the 
bandage of matting, a ball of well-beaten 
clay sprinkled over with a little wood- 
ashes or the fine siftings of cinders, to 
cover completely the parts grafted, that is, from 
an inch below them to an inch or so above them, 
(5;) and, even to prevent this ball of clay from be 
ing washed off by heavy rains, it is well to tie 
around it a covering of coarse canvass," or else to 
earth up the whole plant as you do beans or peas, 
drawing a little mound around it so as to reach 
nearly the top of the clay. Mr. Harrison prepares 
his grafting clay in the following manner: Take 
two parts of clay and one of horse-dung, free from 
straw, mix them together, and beat the mass un¬ 
til the whole is thoroughly incorporated, then tem¬ 
per it with a little water till it is reduced to the 
consistence of stiff paste. This composition never 
cracks on drying! 
Future Treatment. —Something now remains 
to be said on the future treatment of the grafted 
plant. In a month’s time at least, you will see 
