GRAFTING 195 



the fibrous nature of the latter preventing the former 

 from cracking. A winding of rags holds the oint- 

 ment in place. Thus wound, the stnmp does not 

 suffer from exposure to the air, which would dry it 

 up. In course of time the wounds cicatrize, and 

 the bark and wood of the graft coalesce with the 

 bark and wood of the severed trunk. Finally the 

 bnds of the graft, nourished by the stock, develop 

 into branches and at the end of a few years the top 

 of the wild pear tree is replaced by that of a culti- 

 vated pear tree bearing pears equal to those of the 

 tree that furnished the graft. 



"The operation of cutting back a branch or trunk 

 to receive the graft always promotes the growth of 

 numerous buds. "What is to be done with the shoots 

 that spring from these? Evidently they must be 

 suppressed, for they would appropriate, to no good 

 end, the sap intended for the graft. Nevertheless 

 the suppression must be done cautiously. Let us 

 not forget that what primarily causes the sap to 

 ascend is the evaporation of moisture from the 

 leaves. As long as the graft has not opened its 

 buds and spread its leaves, it is well to let the young 

 shoots of the stock remain untouched. They act as 

 helpers, in that their foliage draws upward the 

 juices extracted from the soil by the roots ; so that, 

 far from having an injurious effect at this time, their 

 presence is most useful. But the day will come when 

 the graft alone will suffice for this work of pumping 

 up the sap, and then it is best to get rid of these 

 messmates which, of heartier appetite than the graft, 



