PROPAGATION. 
25 
grafting there is less of the wood of the stock exposed, and the import¬ 
ance of dispatch is not so urgent. It is, however, most important in 
all methods of grafting, for, if the bark is injured, or the juices under 
it dried up, or the wood of the scion air dried, success becomes uncertain 
in proportion to the length of time they are rain washed or weather dried 
before the operation of grafting is completed. 
The other most common modes of grafting the apple are crown 
or bark, cleft or saddle 
grafting, of each of which 
we give a brief descrip¬ 
tion and illustration. 
In crown or bark graft¬ 
ing (Fig. 5) the most sim¬ 
ple method is to remove 
the top of the stem or 
branch. This should be 
done in a sloping direc¬ 
tion, so that no wet can 
lie upon it. Then at the 
upper or highest por¬ 
tion of the stock make a 
slice down the bark an 
inch and a half or so in 
length, and open the 
edges with the handle 
of the budding knife, as 
in the budding of roses. 
Then take a slice off the 
side of the scion of al¬ 
most the same length 
as the slit in the bark, 
and run it down from 
Fig. 4. 
the top of the stock to the bottom of the slit ; tie in position and wax 
or clay over, and the work is finished. When the bark of the stock 
rises freely, it is often not necessary to do more than merely run the 
knife down through the bark and slightly raise it at the top. Then 
use the scion itself to make its own way down into its proper position. 
This secures a better fit, and has the merit of not raising more bark 
than is needful to give it sufiicient room. Sometimes in grafting large 
trees on this method several scions of largish size, two or more years 
old, are used. These are cut away considerably as far as they are 
placed under the bark, and the upper portion kept as a shoulder to 
