6 The Bulletin. 



Melt the ingredients of either formula in an iron kettle over a slow 

 fire. Stir as they melt to insure thorough mixing. Pour out into a 

 bucket of cold water, grease the hands and pull until it becomes straw- 

 colored. Wax not intended for immediate use may be rolled up in 

 greased paper and put away. Grease the hands a little in using the 

 wax. 



Waxed Cloth. — Melt a sufficient amount of the wax in a kettle. 

 Into it dip narrow sheets of old calico or cambric. As soon as sat- 

 urated with the wax take them out, stretch and allow to cool. Eor 

 use tear into strips about one-half inch wide. 



Waxed Tivine. — ]\Ielt the wax as above, and into it drop balls of 

 ISTo. 18 knitting cotton. Stir them about in the wax for about five 

 minutes, by which time the wax will have penetrated them. Then 

 take them out and allow them to cool. The twine will break easily 

 without injuring the fingers. 



Raphia. — Raphia, which may be purchased from dealers in horti- 

 cultural supplies, makes a satisfactory wrapping for buds in many 

 cases. It is a fiber obtained from a palm {Raphia ruffla). It should 

 be moistened before using. 



METHODS OF PEOPAGATION. 



Seeds for Stocks. — In most cases stocks used in propagating are 

 grown from seed. The selection of this seed for stocks is of far more 

 importance than is generally supposed. Ordinarily the seed is taken 

 from pomace heaps at cider-mills, canning and evaporating factories 

 and from worthless fruit which is allowed to decay. Such seed can 

 never be expected to give good results. Often the fruit taken to cider- 

 mills is of the poorest kind and represents all the varieties in the 

 orchard — good and poor. In fact, the results on sttch roots are not 

 often considered. It does not seem to make much difference with 

 many people what kind of stocks are used, just so the tree has a root 

 of some kind. If the best results are expected the seed should be 

 taken from varieties or trees of kno^Ti qualities, as hardiness, resist- 

 ance to disease, insects, etc. It is known, for instance, that some 

 varieties are hardier, longer-lived, more rapid growers and less sub- 

 ject to some diseases and insects than other varieties ; also that some 

 varieties often do far better on one kind of soil than on another. 

 These things should be taken into consideration in propagating trees. 

 Study the conditions under which the trees are to be grown, and 

 select seed for stocks accordingly. 



