Victorinox developed the series of pocket knives numbered 284 - 295 specifically for gardening.
The origins of the series go back to around 1915 and started with the production of two models. Other models were added later. Victorinox discontinued production of the entire series in the early 1950s.
This series has some special tools that are not found in other pocket knife series (with the exception of the 470 series). These tools were needed for specialized gardening work, especially grafting plants and trees. A distinction is made between oculation and copulation, 2 common methods of plant improvement.
oculation
Budding takes place between May and September during the growth phase. An eye is cut out of a shoot of a mostly noble plant or tree variety. For this you needed a grafting knife, or the main blade for it, which was mounted on most of the pocket knives of this series described here. This knife is also needed to make what is known as a T-cut on the plant or tree to be grafted. The bark is then loosened with the "bark remover" tool and the previously cut-out eye is inserted and then everything is closed.
copulation
This grafting method occurs mainly in late autumn and winter, when a plant is dormant. A noble shoot is prepared with an oblique cut. On the base of the plant to be grafted, a branch or plant part with the same diameter as the prepared shoot is selected and prepared with the same diagonal cut. The shoot is then placed on the base and wrapped with an appropriate material to seal the two parts of the plant. In contrast to the budding process, no bark remover is required.
Plant grafting is still a very important method of propagation. The problem with natural, generative propagation is often that the new plants do not have exactly the same characteristics as the parent plants. Grafting techniques allow plants to be cloned, resulting in plants with exactly the same characteristics as the parent plants. This makes it possible to preserve special or endangered plant species.
In addition to fruit varieties and roses, the grafting techniques are also used in vegetable cultivation. It is possible, for example, to graft plants with a strong root system with another plant that does not have such a pronounced root system. As a result, the above-ground part of the plant receives more nutrients and a better supply, which ultimately leads to a larger yield.