THE STEM 57 



stems both across and lengthways. Examine the cut 

 ends of any old trees, and compare with young plants of 

 the same kind, noting particularly the enormous differ- 

 ence in thickness of the wood. 



Examine a thick branch or stem of a tree which has 

 been cut lengthways, and observe how the branches, can 

 be traced downwards through the wood of the main 

 branch or stem, giving rise to knots. Make drawings of 

 these as seen in both longitudinal and cross sections. 

 The trees mentioned above, or almost any timber trees, 

 afford good examples. 



Examine, in cross and longitudinal section, stems of 

 any monocotyledonous plants for example, maize, any 

 large grasses, any palm (for instance, in museums). 

 Note the hard, outer rind, and the inner, soft, ground- 

 tissue with the hard, fibrous strands running in it. Com- 

 pare the parts in these stems very carefully with those 

 of the dicotyledonous stems of the preceding paragraphs. 



Grafting and Budding. 



To perform these operations, good, sharp and 

 strong knives are necessary. Much may be done with 

 an ordinary penknife, but proper grafting and budding 

 knives greatly facilitate the work. They are inexpen- 

 sive, and procurable from any dealer in gardening tools ; 

 a small number should form part of every school's equip- 

 ment. 



Before beginning work it is necessary to prepare 

 supplies of grafting-wax and budding-tape. The follow- 

 ing recipe should be followed for preparing grafting- 

 wax : Melt together four parts by weight of resin, one 



