88 horticulturist's rule-book. 



tallow. Pour the melted tallow into the first mixture, and 

 stir vigorously. Then, before the stuff cools, add, slowly 

 stirring meantime, ^ pound of Venetian red. This may be 

 used warm or cold. 



4. Waxed string and bandage. 



18. Waxed String for Root-Grafting. — Into a 

 kettle of melted wax place balls of No. 18 knitting-cotton. 

 Turn the balls frequently, and in five minutes they will be 

 thoroughly saturated, when they are dried and put away 

 for future use. 



This material is strong enough, and at the same time 

 breaks so easily as not to injure the hands. Any of the 

 resin and beeswax waxes may be used. When the string is 

 used it should be warm enough to stick without tying. 



19. Waxed Cloth. — Old calico or thin muslin is rolled 

 on a stick and placed in melted wax. When saturated it is 

 allowed to cool by being unrolled on a bench. It is then 

 cut in strips to suit. 



5. Waxes for wounds. 



20. Any of the more adhesive grafting-waxes are excel- 

 lent for dressing wounds, although most of them cleave 

 off after the first year. Stiff and ochreous paints are also 

 good. Tar is useful. 



21. Coal-Tar. — Apply a coating of coal-tar to the 

 wound, which has first been pared and smoothed. If the 

 wound contains a hole, plug it with seasoned wood. 



22. HosKiNs' Wax. — Boil pine-tar slowly for three or 

 four hours ; add i pound of beeswax to a quart of the 

 tar. Have ready some dry and finely sifted clay, and when 

 the mixture of tar arcl wax is partly cold, stir into the 

 above-named quantity about 12 ounces of the clay ; continue 

 the stirring until the mixture is so stiff and so nearly cool 

 that the clay will not settle. This is soft enough in mild 

 weather to be easily applied with a knife or spatula. 



23. Sch^fell's Healing-Paint. — Boil linseed oil (free 

 from cotton-seed oil) one hour, with an ounce of litharge 

 to each pint of oil ; then stir in sifted wood ashes until the 



