68 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1900. 



Charles E. Parker, of Holden, said he couldn't see the 

 evidence of the influence of stock on scion. When the scion 

 grows faster than it would on its parent stem, it only shows 

 thriftiness of growth, due to some local condition. Too heavy 

 growth of the scion is not desirable, and where it exceeds the 

 stock in size the graft is likely to break off. 



Mr. Marble spoke of one case where the scion is bigger than 

 the stock by an inch or more on every side. He h;is tested 

 such cases and assured Mr. Parker it would take an exertion of 

 great strength to separate the two. 



Mr. Parsons endorsed Mr. Marble's methods and said they 

 are the same he used fifty years ago, when he was in the habit 

 of setting 600 scions a day. Success in grafting depends largely 

 on the skill of the operator and knowledge of what kinds will 

 go together best. He has grafted apple scions into white birch 

 and got a good growth the first year, and has grafted plum into 

 peach tree, getting a growth of four feet in the first year. 

 There is the same relation or affinity in the vegetable as in the 

 animal kingdom. It is just as important to carefully select the 

 stock as to set the scion. If you get the bark contact the whole 

 length of the cutting you will get the full benefit of the stock 

 sap. If you cut off too many of the runners you kill the tree. 

 The man who said he had no use for grafting should remember 

 that someone thought there was use in it before his time, for 

 somebody must have grafted those trees of his. In cutting off the 

 top of a branch for grafting some will pare it smooth, but better 

 results are obtained by using a fine saw, for pared edges will not 

 unite as soon as the sawed edges. Fifty years ago, Mr. Parsons 

 did all the grafting in Asa Johnson's orchard. He used Russia 

 matting to bind up the buds, but later adopted white flannel, 

 which will draw up the moisture. He cut the horizontal slit for 

 budding; at the lower end of the vertical slit, which makes the 

 bud more secure in its place. 



Mr. Wheeler said he set out the fruit trees on his place 

 thirty years ago and never grafted any of them. He followed 

 the list of varieties given in the schedules of the Horticultural 



