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parts and tallow two parts, by weight ; or, linseed oil one pint, resin 

 six pounds and beeswax one pound. These should be melted together 

 and well stirred. As soon as it is cooled it is ready Cor use. In putting 

 on the wax, be sure that the entire wound made is covered by it, 

 so that no air can get in. The only use of wax in grafting is to ex- 

 clude the air. Apple trees can be grafted any time in spring before 

 the leaves begin to grow, or even after if the scions have been kept 

 in a dormant condition. The other way of changing the bearing year 

 is by picking off all of the blossoms or fruit before it gets to be of any 

 considerable size, that all the nourishment the tree is able to take up 

 and prepare shall be used in making new growth and developing fruit 

 buds. It is no more the nature of the apple tree to bear the even 

 year than it is the odd year, its nature is to bear every year, but over- 

 bearing exhaustion of the soil and tree or some outside cause, has so 

 weakened or affected the tree that it bears enormous crops one year 

 and not anything the next. Every fruit a tree bears robs the tree of 

 that much nourishment ; this nourishment is obtained from the soil 

 through the roots, and by absorption from the atmosphere by the 

 leaves, which also digest and prcjjare the crude food thus taken up. 

 The tree is a machine to transform tlie elements of the soil and air 

 into fruit: this machine can do a certain amount of work, and not 

 over-exert itself, but if it goes beyond this limit, the tree is over-taxed, . 

 and it either dies or is obliged to rest until it has made up for this 

 extra work. It is a fact wortli remembering, that every fruit a tree 

 bears over a medium crop must be paid for from the next season's 

 fruit. Most of our apple trees bear enormaus crops the years they do 

 bear, and by so doing exhaust the tree so tliat it is obliged to rest a 

 year before producing another crop. Tlie season the tree does not 

 bear, all of the plant food prepared goes to form new growth and de- 

 velope fruit buds. The tree is stored full of nourishment and bears 

 another large crop the next year, and it will continue in this manner 

 if no outside influence is brouglit to bear upon it. If we can keep 

 trees from bearing the years they want to b3ar, which we can by 

 picking off the blossoms, and by manuring well these years cause tlie 

 trees to put on a good growth, they will naturally develop fruit buds 

 and bear the coming year. I do not say that picking the blossoms 

 off for a single season will absolutely change the bearing years so that 

 it will not bear at all the other years, as the tree has had two seasons 

 in which to store up food, and there may be sufficient to ripen a large 



