132 STEMS 



3. Air must be excluded from the joint until the union has 

 become complete. If air should get into the joint, there would 

 be a loss of sap through leakage and evaporation; there 

 might be a chance for rain water to get in and dilute the sap ; 

 and there would be a liability for the entrance of germs of 

 decay which would prevent a healthy growth. 



Definitions. The plant whose fruit is to be changed is 

 called the stock. The buds or twigs which are to be engrafted 

 upon the stock are called the scions. 



Note. Budding and grafting are most successfully done in 

 early spring when buds are about ready to start. The scions may 

 be procured in the fall after the leaves have been shed, and the twigs 

 may be kept in damp moss through the winter in a cool place to 

 prevent growing. 



117. BUDDING 



Exercise. With a clean sharp knife remove a bud to- 

 gether with a small portion of the attached bark. In sever- 

 ing the bud cut upward from beneath the bud to avoid 

 injuring it. 



Cut a T-shaped slit in the bark of the tree on which you 

 desire the bud to grow and lift up the two right angles so 

 as to expose the cambium of the stock. Insert the bud so 

 that its cambium touches that of the stock. Push the bud 

 down and smear it around with grafting wax. 



Grafting wax can be purchased of any dealer in garden 

 supplies. It is made of rosin, tallow, and beeswax melted 

 together. Cut off the branch of the stock above the bud. 

 This will increase the flow of sap to the bud and insure its 

 early growth. 



First attempts are rarely successful, but a little practice 

 will enable one to do it very well. 



