﻿88 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Rush: 
  I 
  really 
  have 
  little 
  experience 
  in 
  keeping 
  scions. 
  

   This 
  fall 
  I 
  put 
  some 
  in 
  the 
  moist 
  cold 
  earth 
  in 
  the 
  cellar. 
  I 
  

   think 
  the 
  experiment 
  will 
  be 
  successful 
  because 
  I 
  have 
  known 
  

   chestnut 
  scions 
  cut 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  to 
  be 
  kept 
  under 
  leaves 
  in 
  the 
  

   grove 
  till 
  spring. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Smith: 
  I 
  should 
  like 
  to 
  suggest 
  that 
  you 
  try 
  the 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  experiment; 
  bury 
  them, 
  wrapped 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  gunny-sack 
  

   or 
  something, 
  entirely 
  underground 
  where 
  they 
  will 
  have 
  abso- 
  

   lute 
  moisture 
  and 
  be 
  shut 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  air. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  that 
  

   very 
  successful. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Rush: 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  trouble 
  is 
  they 
  get 
  too 
  moist. 
  

  

  The 
  Chairman: 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  principle 
  here, 
  and 
  we 
  had 
  better 
  

   keep 
  down 
  to 
  principles 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  we 
  can. 
  That 
  principle 
  is 
  

   that 
  if 
  the 
  cells 
  of 
  the 
  scions 
  are 
  distended 
  with 
  water 
  a 
  certain 
  

   chemical 
  process 
  is 
  going 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  while, 
  because 
  a 
  scion 
  is 
  

   just 
  as 
  much 
  alive 
  as 
  the 
  red 
  squirrel; 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  living 
  organism. 
  

   Now 
  then, 
  if 
  the 
  cells 
  are 
  a 
  very 
  little 
  below 
  normal 
  dryness 
  the 
  

   chemical 
  processes 
  mostly 
  cease, 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  better. 
  We 
  have 
  

   to 
  use 
  nice 
  judgment 
  in 
  avoiding 
  having 
  a 
  scion 
  so 
  dry 
  that 
  its 
  

   cells 
  perish 
  or 
  so 
  moist 
  that 
  its 
  cells 
  are 
  undergoing 
  chemical 
  

   processes 
  too 
  rapidly. 
  Our 
  scions 
  are 
  cut, 
  say, 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  Novem- 
  

   ber, 
  then 
  covered 
  with 
  leaves 
  enough 
  to 
  prevent 
  freezing 
  and 
  

   thawing. 
  That 
  will 
  carry 
  scions 
  pretty 
  well 
  through 
  the 
  winter 
  

   and 
  perhaps 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  way, 
  but 
  we 
  must 
  never 
  forget 
  that 
  in 
  

   dealing 
  with 
  scions 
  we 
  are 
  dealing 
  with 
  living 
  red 
  squirrels 
  just 
  

   as 
  when 
  we 
  are 
  dealing 
  with 
  pollen. 
  

  

  A 
  Member: 
  Are 
  the 
  leaves 
  moist 
  or 
  dry 
  ? 
  

  

  The 
  Chairman: 
  The 
  driest 
  leaves 
  in 
  the 
  woods 
  contain 
  more 
  

   water 
  than 
  you 
  think 
  they 
  do. 
  They 
  carry 
  enough 
  to 
  maintain 
  

   the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  cells, 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  packed 
  pretty 
  firmly 
  about 
  your 
  

   scions, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  scions 
  are 
  still 
  allowed 
  to 
  breathe. 
  

   I 
  keep 
  them 
  above 
  ground. 
  I 
  put 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  shingles 
  on 
  the 
  

   cellar 
  floor, 
  if 
  I've 
  got 
  a 
  bare 
  ground 
  cellar 
  floor, 
  and 
  then 
  a 
  

   layer 
  of 
  very 
  fine 
  leaves 
  like 
  locust 
  leaves, 
  then 
  a 
  single 
  layer 
  of 
  

   scions 
  and 
  then 
  a 
  good 
  big 
  heap 
  of 
  leaves 
  over 
  those, 
  packed 
  

   tight, 
  a 
  good 
  big 
  heap 
  of 
  apple 
  leaves 
  or 
  anything 
  you 
  have 
  at 
  

   hand. 
  Try 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  principles. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  complex 
  question. 
  

   You 
  can't 
  settle 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  questions 
  off-hand. 
  Every 
  man 
  

   who 
  has 
  had 
  much 
  experience 
  has 
  learned 
  that 
  he 
  needs 
  a 
  whole 
  

   lot 
  more. 
  

  

  