Grafting

in carpentry, a scarfing or endwise attachment of one timber to another, as in attaching an extra length or false pile to one already driven. In nautical language, the tapering of the end of a rope, usually covered by weaving yarns around it. In surgery, the transplanting of a portion of skin to a denuded surface. In husbandry, the act or proce of inserting a shoot or scion taken from one tree or shrub in a vigorous stock of its own or a closely allied species, so as to cause them to unite and enable the graft to derive a larger supply of nutritive power than it could otherwise obtain. ‘There are numerous methods of grafting. One is grafting by approach, or inarching, when two growing plants are united together, and after adhesion one is severed from its own stock and left to —_ on the other. This kind of adesion sometimes takes place naturally in trees hie J close Sy The usual method of grafting is a scions or slips, which are applied to the stock by a sloping surface, or are inserted into slits in it «! chetoeeeriam, or into perforations by wimble or peg grafting. Sometimes several slips are placed.in a circular manner around the inside of the bark of the stock, by crown grafting; or the bark of a portion of the stock is removed, and that of the scion is hollowed out, so as to be sapiies over it like the parts of a flute, hence called flute-grafting. Budding is practised by the removal of a bud from one plant, along with a portion of the bark and new wood, and applying it to another — in which a similar wound has been made. In whip aoe or tongue grafting, the stock is cut obliquely acro , and a slit or very narrow angular incision is made in its center downward acro the cut surface, a similar deep incision being made in the scion upward at a corresponding angle, and a projecting tongue left, which, being inserted in the incision in the stock, they are fastened closely together. Splice grafting is performed By cutting the ends of both the stock and the scion acro at such an angle that the oblique surfaces exactly fit each other and are fastened together. In saddle grafting the end of the stock is cut into the form of a wedge, and the middle of the scion cut away so as to rest exactly upon the stock. Grafting is usually performed between the woody parts of the plants, but herbaceous parts may. also be united in this way. It is requisite that the growing parts be brought into apposition — the two albumens and the two libers. Union will only take place where the active proce es of life are freely exercised. The graft and stock are secured together by means of clay, or a mixture of bees’-wax and tallow, or by bits of india-rubber. The term “ grafting” is also applied in common talk, and especially in political recrimination to the obtaining of money by methods which, while po ibly within the law, are at least dishonorable, and particularly to the use of public office for personal gain in a manner that is morally dishonest. It is sometimes also applied in cases that are clearly criminal.