37 



ways be dry, never moist. But they should never be so dry as to look 

 shrivelled. Until you know just what scions will do under the condi- 

 tions you 2)rovide you should examine them frequently. 



Equipment 

 The essentials are a knife, raffia and the wax heater witli brush. A 

 saw is necessary if stocks are to be cut back, and pruning shears are 

 convenient for cutting scions into proper lengths and for trimming and 

 pruning stocks. The knife most used is the grafting knife of ^Nlaher 

 & Gross, with a three inch straight blade and a round handle that gives 

 a good grasp. 



1 used to suspect that the men who said that scions ought to be cut 

 with two strokes of the knife were trying to establish an unattainable 

 idc'i]. But after ^fr. Jones and Dr. Morris had taught me how to 

 sh'irjnii iny knife I found that I could cut one that way myself some- 

 times. Mr. Jones's method of sharpening is to hone the knife flat on 

 the surface next the scion and with a bevel on the upper edge. I found 

 tliit tills mule scion cutting so much easier that I thought it was the 

 whole secret. But one day I saw another doubter come up to Mr. 

 Jones and ask him if it was true that he could cut a scion witli two 

 strokes of the knife. Mr. Jones said he thought he could but he had 

 no knife just then. The man pulled out his pocket knife and asked if 

 that would do. Mr. Jones looked at it, took a stick and with two 

 strokes cut a perfect scion. Since then I have felt that there is some- 

 thino- to it besides the wav vou sharpen vour knife. 



A very important element in shajiing scions is to give a drawing 

 nation to tlie knife liy keeping the handle well advanced before the 

 blade. The cutting is done with a draw and not a push. This is one 

 of the most important factors for success in shaping scions. 



it seems hardly necessary to say that the stroke of the knife should 

 be away from the grafter. Yet it is a common sight to see beginners 

 cutting to the thumb. 



Dr. Morris showed me that if, in sharpening your knife, you hold 

 the little M^hetstone between, the thumb and middle finger of the left 

 hand you are less likely to put a feather edge on it. A feather edge 

 is someth.ing to clip the sprouting wings of any budding saint of a 

 grafter. Wlien you get the right edge on your knife often you can 

 use it the whole day without resharpening, or at most with simply 

 a stropping on a piece of wood or leather. But improper use of the 

 knife, or the least knick, will spoil the edge and sometimes it will be 



