82 GRAFTING OPERATIONS 



Pruning Shears. These do not differ in any way from 

 those used in pruning work. If the shears have good steel 

 and thin blades tapering to a sharp point better results 

 can be had. The shears are not recommended for making 

 cuts that a saw can be used for, but often grafts are made 

 where they can be used to a better advantage. The objec- 

 tion to shears is, that they crush the bark on one side of 

 the stock while the cut is being made. 



Grafting Wax. On all grafts that are exposed to the 

 air some covering is necessary to seal up the union and 

 prevent evaporation of moisture. For this purpose a 

 special grafting wax is used. This is made in three dif- 

 ferent types, known as " hard wax/' " soft wax " and 

 " liquid wax." The usual ingredients in all of these are 

 beeswax, resin and tallow. Various other substances are 

 occasionally used, such as oil, turpentine and alcohol. 

 The hard wax is made by melting together the three in- 

 gredients, resin, beeswax and tallow and then cooling in a 

 mold. The important thing to remember is the quantity 

 of resin to use. If there is too much, the wax will be too 

 hard and crack in cool weather, allowing the air to enter. 

 If too little is used, the wax will melt and run during the 

 heat of the day. It is easy, therefore, to see that each sec- 

 tion of the country may require a slightly different formula. 



The soft wax is made in the same way, except it is cooled 

 in cold water and pulled to soften it and make it easy to 

 apply. This wax is used cold and applied to the graft with 

 the fingers. Oil is used on the hands to prevent the wax 

 from sticking. The liquid wax is a combination of the above 

 with the addition of some volatile liquid, usually alcohol. 



