PROCEEDINGS OP THE WINTER MEETING. 23 



Scions for budding are cut as needed, and the leaves taken off at once to 

 prevent evaporation. If shipped any distance, they must be packed in 

 damp moss, so as not to dry at all, nor yet heat, and used as soon as possi- 

 ble after being received. 



PROCEDURE IN GRAFTING. 



We will now consider the two operations separately. With our scions 

 cut and the proper season arrived, we are ready to graft. There are but 

 four modes of work with which the ordinary horticulturist need be familiar, 

 and even one of these he will have very little occasion to use. Of the 

 large number of other ways to set grafts, nearly all are simply modifica- 

 tions, to be used on special plants or occasions, with which the common 

 grower has nothing to do. Those to be described and illustrated are whip 

 or tongue, cleft, crown, and veneer grafting. One material which we shall 

 need in all kinds of work, is grafting wax, and it is made as follows: take 

 by weight one part of tallow, two parts beeswax, and four parts of rosin. 

 Be sure about the proportions. Melt thoroughly together, then pour off 

 into cold water; and as soon as cool enough to handle, pull it the same as 

 you would molassess candy. When done it will have much the same 

 appearance. To make the waxed string, simply put balls of fine darning 

 cotton into the hot wax till they are soaked; and the same for waxed cloth, 

 using any cotton cloth that will tear readily into strips. For whip-grating 

 we need only, in addition to these materials, a sharp knife. Simply make 

 a slanting cut across the ends of stock and scion, about an inch long; then, 

 about one third of an inch from the thin end of the cut, and parallel to it, 

 make a straight split into both, one third of an inch deep. Place the two 

 cut surfaces together, end to end, pushing the tongue made by the cross- 

 cut in each, into the slit of the other, being sure the bark joins on one side 

 at least of the two pieces. Then cover the joints with wax or waxed cloth, 

 air tight, and it is finished. If it is a root-graft, instead of using the wax 

 bind a few times with waxed string to hold the pieces in place till planted. 

 If well made, even this is not necessary. This kind of grafting may be 

 used readily on any stocks of an inch or less in diameter, provided they do 

 not have a pithy center. It is by far the easiest and most rapid method of 

 grafts. It is so well adapted to the needs of the ordinary grower that 

 every one should be familiar with it. It makes a perfect union and in a 

 short time it is often impossible to tell where the joint was made. 



Cleft-grafting is principally used on large trees, where it is desirable to 

 change the variety. To do this the operator will need a strong knife or 

 chisel, a small hand-saw, a sharp knife to prepare scions, a mallet, a small 

 wedge, and wax. Saw off the limbs to be grafted, being very careful not 

 to tear the bark. Then split the stock across the middle with the strong 

 knife or chisel, opening it down about three inches. With the wedge, open 

 the slit and insert the scions — one, or, if the stock is large, two, one at each 

 end of the split. The scions are cut about five inches in length, or with at 

 least three buds. These are made wedge-shape on the end to be inserted, 

 thus being about one and a fourth inches long, one edge being thicker than 

 the other. Cut the scion so as to have a bud just at the upper end of the 

 wedge on the thickest edge. Place the scion in the split of the stock with 

 the thick edge at the outside of the stock, being sure that the surfaces 

 of the wood, not of the bark, of stock and scion are joined. Now remove 

 the wedge in the end of the stock and the split will close up and hold the 



