Grafting, the operation of setting a part of one plant into another. If this be done in such a way that the fresh sap-carrying part of the one comes into contact with that of the other, sap will flow through the union, and the part set in will grow and produce leaves, flowers, and fruits, as if it had not been removed from the parent plant. The plant on which the grafting is done is called stock, the graft or scion is the part, usually a twig or bud, which is inserted. The purpose of grafting is two-fold; first, to make sure of desirable fruit. Seedling apple trees from the seed of the same apple are not certain to bear fruit like the original apple, but if fifty seedling apple trees be cut off near the ground and grafted with twigs from a bearing tree, we shall have fifty new trees with fruit like that of the tree from which the grafts were taken. All fruit trees sent out by responsible nurserymen have been grafted for this purpose. Then again, grafts are set on hardier stock. The Russians graft apples on Siberian crab roots. If, for instance, the soil is better adapted to peaches than to plums, plums may be grafted on peach roots. It is a mistake to suppose that any two woods will grow together. The stock and graft must be closely related, as two roses, a plum and a cherry, etc. Three general kinds of grafting are practised. In each case the fresh sap-carrying wood of the graft must come into contact with fresh sap-carrying wood of the stock. This is the gummy cambium layer between wood and bark. 1. Grafting Proper. The stock is cut off and split downward. The lower end of the scion is cut to a wedge shape and inserted with care, so that cambium layer meets cambium layer on one side at least of the wedge. Frequently two small scions are inserted, one at each side of the split. If both grow, one may be cut off. The joint is surrounded by wax or even a ball of wet clay to keep the wound moist. The method just described is called cleft grafting. It may be used also in renovating the branches, top grafting an old tree. Whip-grafting consists in splicing the scion and the stock, each being cut off on a long slant so that the end of the one slips past the end of the other in such a way as to form a continuous body of about the same size. Scions are usually three buds long. 2. Budding. A single bud is detached from the branch on which it grew and is inserted beneath the bark of the stock. To admit the bud a crosscut is made in the smooth bark of the stock, and the bark is split downward from the middle of the crosscut. The corners or flaps of the bark, which must peel readily, are raised; the bud is inserted, and the corners let back to cover the edges of the bud. The wound is sealed with wax (wax is made of tallow, 1 pound; beeswax, 2 pounds; resin 4 pounds), or the incision may be covered by a strand of basswood bark, yarn, or raffia. After the bud has grown in well, the stock is cut off a little above the graft. 3. Inarching. Two branches of separate, living plants are crossed obliquely. The cambium layer of each is exposed. The two are bound closely together and waxed. After the two have grown together the root is cut away from the scion and the top is cut off from the stock. In this way the entire top of a branching plant may be transferred to another root. Ingrafting is, of course, laborious; but it is the safest plan. Exhibition fruit is sometimes produced by ingrafting below the fruit and cutting away one tip, thus increasing the flow of sap to that twig on which the fruit is growing. See APPLE; ORCHARD, etc.