Fig. 68. Flute-budding.
A species of flute-budding in which a ring of bark is slipped down upon the tip of a shoot, which has been girdled for the purpose, is called whistle-budding or tubular-budding.
Grafting.—Grafting is divided in various ways, but chiefly with reference to the position of the union upon the plant and to the method in which the scion and stock are joined. In reference to position, there are four general classes: 1. Root-grafting, in which the stock is entirely a root. 2. Crown-grafting, which is performed upon the crown or collar of the plant just at the surface of the ground, an operation which is often confounded with root-grafting. 3. Stem-grafting, in which the cion is set on the trunk or body of the tree below the limbs, a method occasionally employed with young trees. 4. Top-grafting, or grafting in the branches of the tree. Any method of inserting the cion may be employed in these classes. The best classification, particularly for purposes of description, is that which considers methods of making the union. Some of these kinds of grafting are catalogued on [page 66]. For our purposes, we shall need to consider only the whip, saddle, splice, veneer, cleft and bark-grafting.
Whip-Grafting.—Whip or tongue-grafting is employed only on small stocks, usually upon those one or two years old. Both the cion and stock are cut across diagonally, the cut surface extending from one to two inches according to the size of the part. A vertical cleft is then made in both, and the two are joined by shoving the tongue of the cion into the cleft of the stock. The operation can be understood by reference to Figs. [Fig. 69], [Fig. 70] and [Fig. 71]. [Fig. 69] shows the end of a cion, cut natural size. The stock is cut in the same manner, and the two are joined in Figs. [Fig. 70] and [Fig. 71]. The parts are held firmly by a bandage passed five or six times around them. If the graft is to stand above ground, the wound must be protected by applying wax over the bandage. (Recipes for wax can be found at the end of this chapter.)
Fig. 69. Whip-graft.
Fig. 70. Whip-graft in position.