ASEXUAL PROPAGATION ON ROOTS OF OTHER PLANTS 83 



long period been thfc standard material for this purpose. 

 Most grafting-waxes consist of three materials; resin which 

 gives hardness, beeswax which supplies toughness, and tallow 

 which renders the mixture soft enough to be worked up. The 

 most common grafting-wax is made of four pounds of resin, 

 two pounds of beeswax, and one pound of tallow. 1 The 

 mixture may be varied to suit the need. In making the wax, 

 the resin is crushed and melted slowly. Then the proper 

 amounts of beeswax and tallow are added. The mixture is 

 kept hot, but not boiling, stirred vigorously for some time, 

 is finally dropped into cold water, and pulled like molasses 

 candy with hands slightly greased. The wax can be applied 

 to the grafts by being warmed and put on with a brush, or 

 if of the proper consistency for the purpose, it may be put 

 on cold with the hands. 



Grafting-cloth is made by drawing strips of cloth through 

 melted grafting-wax. Grafting-string is prepared by soak- 

 ing balls of string in hot grafting-wax. 



In order to reduce the high cost of grafting-wax due to the 

 expensiveness of beeswax, a number of substitutes have been 

 tried. Asphaltum and paraffin mixtures have been used 

 successfully. 



EXERCISES 



EXERCISE I. Preparing grafting-wax. 



Materials. Resin; beeswax; tallow; small pail or tin can; twine; 

 strips of old cloth. 



Procedure. Prepare grafting-wax, grafting-cloth, and grafting-twine 

 in accordance with the directions given in Chapter V. (It is suggested 

 that each student prepare his own wax, using a small quantity of each 

 ingredient in the proper proportion.) 



EXERCISE II. Budding. 



1. Budding in the laboratory. 



Materials. Small branches of willow; sharp knife; string for tying. 



Procedure. Willow twigs may be prepared for very early spring 



For other formulas, see pages 169 to 171 of Bailey's Nursery-Manual. 



