48 



One of the greatest advantages ever made in the art of grafting 

 is the use of melted paraffin for waxing, due to Dr. Morris. There 

 is a special melter for the paraffin, devised by Dr. M^orris, but a use- 

 ful one maybe made at home from a lard pail with a bicycle lantern set 

 into the bottom, a few holes punched for draft, and a small saucepan 

 set into the top to hold' the paraffin. Paraffin can be bought cheaply 

 in the form of Parowax at any grocery store. Complete the necessary 

 equipment with a small, rather stiff, ten-cent paint brush. 



Scions 



One of the difficulties at present is to get scions of good varieties. 

 If you know of a .tree where you can cut them do so when the buds are 

 completely dormant, in late winter or very early spring. Select the 

 plumpest and lon,gest terminal twigs and cut them at least a. foot long 

 with three or four inches of two-year-old wood at the butt end. Even 

 after growth has started a section of stem mav often be found where 

 there are good dormant buds and such scions may be used successfully. 



Until they are wanted for grafting, scions must be carefully kept. 

 This means that they must be kept moist enougli to prevent the bark 

 from shrivelling and dry enough so that the buds do not start to grow. 

 A man must learn how to do this by experience with his own conditions. 

 Scions packed away tightly for any length of time are apt to go wrong, 

 either by drying too much, by being too moist and starting to grow, 

 or by heating, molding] or rotting. A simple way to keep them is to 

 dig a hole about 3 feet deep in the ground outdoors, in a dry and 

 sheltered place where water can never reach them, as under the back 

 porch. Have the scions in convenient lengths of one to two feet. 

 Wrap them in a bundle, or bundles, in a light tar paper, which helps 

 to prevent mold. Leave the ends open for ventilation. Lay the 

 bundles in the bottom of the bole and cover the top of the hole witli 

 an old carpet, or several newspapers. This description gives a general 

 idea of the conditions under which scions should be kept. A man may 

 vary it according to his own conditions, bearing in mind the principles. 

 It is of vital importance to the success of grafting that the scions 

 should be in good condition. The usual mistakes are in keeping them 

 too wet and too much wrapped up. They sliould be examined fre- 

 quently to see that they are keeping well. 



Scions may be obtained from the owners of parent trees, or from 

 other experimenters and grafters. 



