GRAFTING 97 



about under foot in the path for two or three days. 

 Its leaves were wilted as it had lain unprotected in 

 the sun. One o-f my acquaintances jokingly re- 

 marked on passing the spot that perhaps that top 

 would make good grafting material. Taking him at 

 his suggestion, I cut three scions from the wilted 

 top, each about two inches in length, pulled off the 

 dead leaves and grafted the cuttings into a small 

 seedling pear tree near at hand. One of the three 

 grafts promptly pushed out its buds and made a fine 

 strong growth sufficient to insure winter protection 

 at the time of first frost in October. Such an 

 occurrence is out of line with ordinary experience 

 for three reasons. The grafting was done in August. 

 It was done with scions cut from a wilted branch 

 and it was done with wood o>f the season's growth. 

 Archaeologists may find a Sumerian tablet describ- 

 ing this sort of experience, but it would seem to 

 belong to a fresh field of work. 



The reason for melted grafting wax of any sort 

 not coming into general practice in nut tree graft- 

 ing earlier was because it is not required for most 

 other kinds of fruit tree grafting. Having observed 

 the desirability of using melted paraffin for nut tree 

 grafting we may now turn about and apply it to or- 

 dinary fruit tree grafting. Another reason for melted 

 grafting wax not being used generally is because of 

 the difficulty in keeping the melted wax at the right 

 temperature. Almost all of the devices which have 

 been employed for the purpose are cumbersome or 

 unhandy. They carry melted grafting wax that is 



