e than that of
the mother tree.

These are some of the instances in which I have seen stock exert a
definite, and, mainly a beneficial influence on its grafted top. It may
easily be that these are only of a temporary nature and until I have
seen them maintained for many more years, I must consider them to be
transient effects.

Chapter 19

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF SCIONS

Loss of identification markings from my grafted trees has, on occasion,
caused me much confusion. There was one time when I had from six to ten
varieties of hickories and their hybrids grafted on wild bitternut
hickory stocks, totally lacking in identification. Although this
disconcerted me considerably, I knew of nothing I could do except to
wait for the grafts to bear nuts and determine the varieties from these.
As I continued my experimental grafting, I made sure that the tags I
used were not only indestructible, but also secured to the grafts in
such a way that the action of the wind could not wear them out nor cause
them to drop off.

Not long after this had happened, I received from Dr. Deming a shipment
of about twenty varieties of hickory scions. While I was preparing this
material for grafting, I noticed that each variety could be readily
distinguished by its appearance in general and, specifically, by
differences in its leaf scars. I also noticed markings on the bark,
particularly the stomata, which differed with each variety. Color and
stripes added further differentiation. Although I also found variations
in the size and shape of the buds, I later discovered that these do not
always remain constant within a variety, but depend somewhat on each
season's growth. For instance, a second growth sometimes develops during
a favorable season with a large number of lateral buds growing out of it
like spines.

It seemed to me that if scions could be maintained in an approximately
fresh state, they would furnish a key by which any variety of graft
could be determined as easily as it could by its nuts. I therefore set
myself to preserve scionwood in its fresh state. First, I cut five-inch
pieces of plump, healthy wood, each piece having a terminal bud. I
placed these buds downward in large test tubes which I then filled with
pure, strained honey. Such models did very well for a time, but after
about a year, the honey crystallized and of course the scions were no
longer visible. I emptied the tubes and washed them, cleaned the s