46 



tl;e look. As a ui.ittt r of fact it is hy tlie use of the paraffin method 

 that 1 Mfiued to ha\e solved tlie very great problem of making it 

 possible for anybody to graft anything, and at any time of the year. 

 The most difficult thing to graft is the shagbark liiekory, and we 

 have even done that every month of the year. exee|)t Deeeml.er and 

 January. This year we are going to try those montlis, for I believe 

 that the hickory tree may be grafted any month of the yeir. 



Now the ])oint of my remarks will relate to different kinds of 

 paraffin. This Parowax, which melts at 125 degrees farenheit, will 

 be satisfactory in the north temperate regions, ^^'e may raise tie 

 melting point ten degrees, if we like, by the addition of the carnauba 

 wax, which, however, is highly crystalline. A crystalline wax is not 

 desirable because it cracks and i:)ermits the air to enter and we have 

 a desiccation of tlie scion. The Standard Oil pebple will furnish 

 p.iraffin with ;;, melting point of 138 degrees, and that will cover all 

 of our needs for hot countries. But in getting paraffins that melt at 

 136, 137 or 138 degrees we have a rather definite crystalline element. 

 Mr. Bixby has suggested the use of the earth wax wliich is mined in 

 Australia. It is really a fossil paraffin and is not so granular. I 

 found that it is not to be had in this country at the jiresent time, 

 h(»we\er, althougli N'arious dealers told me tliat they liad it. and 1 

 obtained from a firm in New York City a misbranded specimeii 

 C'lled "Ozokerite." which they said is a technical term for tliis 

 particular fossil paraffin. Rut it was nothing of the sort; it was 

 something they had made up for tliemselves. Mr. Bixby kindly gave 

 me a pound or so of the real "Ozokerite," so I had the genuine thing 

 to experiment with. We may then settle tlie (juestion of obtaining 

 paraffines which lia\f a high melting point, by knowing that they 

 liny he obtained from any of the Standard Oil peop 



It- 



Knowing that we miust have, in addition, the elastic feature. 1 

 found one man who h.ad succeeded hv addiuff sometlhntf to a hiah 

 melting-point paraffin. He said that it was a secret, 'but I soon found 

 that it would be no secret to a bee. It would seem, then, that this 

 quality in beeswax would be valuable, since the secret formula from 

 this same dealer has little more than beeswax in it. Beeswax is a 

 different kind of organic product from paraffin and I would not ex- 

 pect them to mingle naturally when in melted solution, but apparently 

 they do. You will find that the specimens which contain this wax 



