196 [ THE PEAR TREE 



scions are to be sent long distances it is a good plan 

 to enclose them in a tin box hermetically sealed, or 

 in a wide-mouthed glass bottle or glass jar with a 

 cork stopper, and when thus packed without any addition 

 of moss or other substance they will keep in good 

 condition for several weeks. When the box or glass 

 bottle is opened, the slips or scions should be lightly 

 washed in tepid water, dried by a piece of cloth, and 

 used at once. Our gardeners select for scions straight 

 and healthy spurs of medium vigour, not more than 

 10 c. m. in length, preferring those with about 3 c. m. 

 of old wood of the preceding year's growth to form 

 the wedge of the scion of this old wood. The graft 

 is bound with spunyarn or with rush twine, or raffia 

 bast and the cleft is stopped by covering it over 

 with a bit of the bark taken from the portion of the 

 stock which has been cut off during the operation. 

 No grafting clay or grafting wax are used, but the 

 graft is earthed up with soil leaving exposed only the 

 tips of the scions, and a stick put over it to mark 

 the site. This primitive method generally gives good 

 results, because the scions are usually well cut and 

 well inserted, and as they have several buds as well 

 as the terminal, the grafted plant takes a bushy form, 

 which is afterwards corrected as desired. This bushy 

 type becomes more accentuated when both scions are 

 allowed to grow together. A few gardeners have adopted 

 the more rational method of grafting with scions 

 shortened to two buds, the scions being inserted so 

 as to have the lower bud just above the stock, or at a 

 level with it, and directed outwards. The graft is bound 

 with twine or bast, and the cleft stopped with a bit of 

 bark gummed on by grafting wax, and the graft is neatly 

 besmeared with the same substance so as to cover lightly 

 but thoroughly all exposed or wounded parts of the stock 

 and of the scions, as well as the small wound made 

 on the top of the scion when it was shortened to 

 two buds, taking care not to besmear or soil the buds 



