rrow or more pointed
end of the cut make a vertical cut of about an inch right up into the
scion. Cut the stock in a similar way. Then insert the tongue of the
stock into the slit of the scion. Press these together carefully. Bind
with raffia. Whenever this work is done outdoors, as it would be in the
case of any of you who try this experiment, the union must be sealed
over. As official documents are sealed with wax, so this union is
legally sealed in wax. One can buy a regular grafting wax. Sometimes
people mix clay and grease together. That is simple, but pretty sticky
sounding.

"Realgrafting wax is made this way: To two parts of beeswax, add four of
resin. Melt these together with one pound of tallow or linseed oil.
When all are melted together, pour into cold water. Pull like molasses
candy until it is light coloured. One's fingers should be greased to
apply this wax properly.

"Cleft grafting is almost described by its name. A cleft or cut is made
in the stock after the stem has been neatly cut across. The cleft is a
vertical cut of about an inch in length. This is made through the centre
of the stock. The scion is made to fit down into this, so naturally it
is cut like a wedge. But there should be cuts made on both sides of the
scion diagonally to form this wedge. So two cut surfaces of cambium are
laid bare to fit against two similar surfaces of the stock. If the stock
is several times thicker than the graft or scion, there should be two of
these latter inserted. Place one at either end of the cleft. Bind and
wax.

"If the stock is the same thickness as the graft then these two fit
perfectly one into the other.

"This is only a little bit about grafting; but I trust this is enough to
get you all interested in this work.

"'Is grafting really necessary?' I heard Albert whisper a while ago. It
does seem like a great deal of work. The trouble with starting fruit
from seed and expecting to get good results lies in this point: Fruit
trees seems to lose in their development from seed the ability to
produce fruit as fine as the parent stock; and so grafting becomes a
necessity. Strange that this should be so, but it is.

"Start with a peach stone or seed. It came from a fine tree; the fruit
was luscious. And yet the little seedling which comes from that very
stone as a rule must be grafted to bear fruit of equally fine flavour as
that of the original peach. Fruit trees have a tendency to revert to old
wild poor