MICHIGAN STATE POMOLOGICAL 80CIETT. 199 



down two or three inches, inserting a wedge of hard wood to 

 keep it open. The scion is cut in the form of a wedge, about 

 one inch or more, with one side a little the thickest, and with 

 a bud if possible on that side, as this bud will often grow when 

 others will not, though we always cut the scion with from 

 three to four buds. The scion is now carefully inserted so as 

 to have the inner bark of both scion and stock come in con- 

 tact. We commonly insert two scions, sometimes in a very 

 large stock we split crosswise and set in four, but if they all 

 grow they are likely to be too close together, and a part of 

 them should be cut out soon after they get a fair start. The 

 whole of the wounded parts are now to be carefully cov- 

 ered with wax to keep out both air and water. Put it on so 

 thick that it will not grow off until the wound is healed over. 

 Right here I beg leave to call in question the directions 

 given by all the anthers that I have read on this point of 

 inserting scions to have them grow. Barry's Fruit Garden, 

 page 81, says: "place in perfect contact the inner barks of 

 scion and stock and the whole cut surface." The American 

 Orchardist says, "the inner bark of the scion and stock must 

 both exactly meet." Other writers both in books and papers 

 have expressed the same idea, and this seems to be the prevail- 

 ing opinion everywhere. Now I take issue with all these wri- 

 ters, simply because the directions cannot be followed with 

 sufficient ease to be practical, and this is the reason no doubt 

 that so many fail to make their scions grow. It requires too 

 nice an adjustment to make sure of getting "the rim of the 

 wood of both scion and stock exactly together" every time, 

 and besides this nice adjustment is not necessary as is shown 

 by those who make grafting a business, and whose income 

 depends upon the speed they can insert them, and who will set 

 from 200 to 500 in a day and warrant them to grow. They 

 scarcely look at the "rim of the wood," or "the inner bark" 

 but always set them with a little slant outward to make sure 

 that the sap lines cross each other somewhere and that is suf- 



