
nit 
(Spprecess is described by Webster as a 
process whereby a part (called the scion) 
taken from one plant, is made to unite 
with and grow upon another plant or part of a 
plant (called the stock). The scion may be a 
single bud, a small twig bearing a few to several 
buds, a piece of stem (as of a cactus), a terminal 
shoot, or a fragment of root of a desirable var- 
iety. Grafting is a method of propagation in 
which the primary purpose is either to increase 
the chances of the scion’s making successful 
growth by giving it a new foundation in the form 
of a more vigorous root system, or to change the 
form, character, fruit-bearing quality, etc., of 
the stock plant or tree by substituting some other 
variety for its original tap. 
To be successful, grafting must insure and 
maintain intimate contact between the cambium 
tissues of scion and stock, that is the layer of 
growing cells that is just under the bark and 
outside the wood. Most gratting is done with 
dormant scions, which means in winter or early. 
spring, unless the scions can be kept dormant 
in cold storage until the stock plants are in best 
condition to receive them. 
After the scion and stock have been cut and 
adjusted they are tied in place after which the 
whole area of wounded surfaces is covered with 
grafting wax to prevent the drying of the parts 
and to exclude moisture and disease. 
Many kinds of grafting are practiced by ex- 
pert plantsmen for special purposes or with 
specific plants, but those best suited to the aver- 
age gardener’s needs are Whip, Cleft, Side, and 
Bridge grafting. 
Whip or Tongue grafting is a method where 
both scion and stock (of about the same diam- 
eter) are cut on a long slant; a slit is made so 
that the tongue of one fits into the slot of the 
other. They are then bound firmly with grafting 
tape and, if to be exposed to the air, covered 
with grafting wax. 
Clft grafting is the simplest method, and one 
generally used in working over old trees—either 
_ to make a worthless seedling or other specimen 
produce good fruit, or to make it possible to grow 
_ more than one variety on a single tree. 
Stock branches one-half inch to two inches in 
diameter are sawed squarely across with a sharp, 
fine-toothed saw, where the bark is smooth. 
These stumps are then split with a chisel and 
mallet to a depth of about 1% inches and the 
slit is pried apart with a special grafting iron or 
wedge of hardwood until it will admit two scions 
(one at each side). These are previously cut to 
a slender wedge shape at the bottom; they are 
usually 4 to 6 inches long and bear 3 or 4 buds. 
Each scion is inserted in the slit stock and ad- 
justed so that its lowest bud is just above the top 
of the stock and on the outside. Also the scion 
is slanted slightly outward so that its cambium 
layer is certain to be in contact with that of the 
stock at least at one point. 
Next the wedge or iron is gently withdrawn 
without displacing the scions. As a rule the 
pressure of the wood is enough to keep them in 
place, but the graft can be tied with cord or tape 
ifnecessary. The entire top of the stock to below 
the base of the split is then covered with gratft- 
ing wax. If both scions grow, the weaker is cut 
away the next year. 
Side grafting is a method where a cut is made 
downward into the stock just beneath the bark, 
and the scion (its base cut wedge shaped) is 
thrust beneath the bark, tied there and waxed. 
The stock above the graft may or may not be 
cut off. This method is especially useful for de- 
veloping branches at bare spaces along trunks 
and main limbs. 
Bridge or Repair grafting is used to establish 
new sap connections across large wounds such 
as those made in winter when mice gnaw the 
bark of trees. Water sprouts, being long and 
lusty, make the best scions for this work. The 
edges of the wound are trimmed back to healthy 
wood at top and bottom where slots are cut at 
4 to 5 points around the trunk. The scions are 
cut long enough to fit in to corresponding slots 
above and below so as to have a slight bow out- 
ward and each scion is cut slanting at each end 
so that the smooth part will fit against the trunk 
to which it is tacked firmly. All cut and injured 
surfaces are then covered with grafting wax or 
wound with waxed cloth. Trees so treated may 
be saved, even though completely girdled as, in 
time, the scions will not only form unions at top 
and bottom, but will also grow together to form 
a new exterior trunk. 
