1 he wood at the base of the bud is 
carefully removed 
Making the T-shaped incision in 
the stock 
Placing the bud in position pre¬ 
paratory to wrapping 
Raffia is used to wind closely over 
the union 
and a few merely general observations. 
The chief object of a graft has been well 
described as enabling the cultivator to have 
the vigor of a seedling in the root and stem 
of a grown tree. For example, the stump of 
an old apple tree in the orchard which, 
through sheer age, has almost abandoned 
iruiting, may be given the energy of a young- 
sapling by the process of grafting. The 
original character of the tree may not have 
been very good, but by taking grafts from a 
thoroughly sound variety the character of a 
crop is completely altered. Again, young- 
fruit trees which do not bear very vigorous¬ 
ly may be induced to produce their yield with 
greater vigor by infusing into them the char¬ 
acter of a new variety. Finally, the stock of 
wild fruits such as apples, pears and plums 
may be grafted with cultivated sorts and in¬ 
troduced into the garden, although this work comes more within 
the province of the nurseryman than of the ordinary garden owner. 
In arranging for grafting it must never 
be forgotten that the graft must have a 
natural affinity. Thus while it is possible 
to graft a pear upon a quince, no successful 
union could be accomplished between a 
plum and an apple. The early part of the 
year is the best for the carrying out of 
grafting, just when the sap is beginning to 
stir, and in a general way any spell of fair¬ 
ly mild weather between February and 
March will answer well. An orthodox 
grafting knife should be used for the pur¬ 
pose, and this should be quite sharp be¬ 
cause a great deal of the success depends 
upon the making of clean cuts. For the 
operations in connection with the prepara¬ 
tion of the stock a sharp chisel with a mal¬ 
let will be found to be invaluable. We shall 
also require some twine, or the garden 
tying materially generally known as bass 
or raffia, and a tin of grafting wax should 
be purchased. A substitute /gr this mate¬ 
rial can be made out of clay and other ma¬ 
terials, but it is far better just to buy a 
small quantity ready mixed. 
In undertaking any form of grafting it is most important to 
bear in mind that the underlying principle of the whole thing lies 
in bringing about a union between the layers 
of the inner bark in each of the parts to be 
united; the pithy or wooden parts never by 
any chance unite. Providing these points 
are borne in mind, the actual lines followed 
by the grafter may be varied to an almost 
indefinite extent. The stock upon which the 
graft is about to be placed must of course be 
well rooted, and in all cases must be “headed 
down” previous to the insertion of the 
graft, or scion, as it is properly called. In 
the case of an old tree which is to be grafted 
it is a good plan to cut off several of the 
leading branches and leave two or three 
stumps. It is most important to select the 
scions from healthy trees; they should pref¬ 
erably be young shoots, if possible, of the 
preceding year, for the older pieces do not 
unite so well. The scions should be chosen 
from the outside of the tree and should be cut so as to arrange 
for three or four buds apiece. The buds on the graft may be 
detected in the illustrations if the pic¬ 
tures are closely examined. It may per¬ 
haps be of advantage to describe with some 
detail the very commonly employed method 
known as whip grafting. 
This method of grafting, as will be seen 
at once from a glance at the upper left- 
hand illustration on page 28, is most suit¬ 
able when the stock and the scion are of 
equal size. After the stock has been headed 
off, it should be cut slantwise, extreme care 
being necessary to see that there are no 
ragged edges. The scion should be cut 
exactly to fit the stock, so that the living 
layer between the bark and the wood may 
meet all round. Upon the securing of a 
good fit depends all the success of the graft, 
and one cannot therefore well insist too 
much upon the importance of this matter. 
g can be carried out even 
though the stock and the scion are not of 
similar size, providing on one side the two 
pieces of bark touch. In this case, however, 
the union is rarely so satisfactory as when 
a more perfect fit in the matter of the size 
When the scion has been placed, in its position on 
(Continued on page 51) 
How the completed bud should appear 
after tying 
Whip graftin 
A side graft covered with clay instead of 
wax 
is arranged. 
