[Illustration: W. N. ROPER

Vice-President Northern Nut Growers Association]

MR. ROPER: We put buds on stock that was not very active, so the trees
were cut back to six inches above the bud, forcing all the growth
into the bud, and I suppose 95 per cent of those buds lived; on the
trees not cut back the buds did not live.

THE SECRETARY: You have spoken about soaking the scions in cold water;
does not that injure the buds? We have been told heretofore that keeping
the scions in water started the cells into activity and rendered them
less likely to grow; but perhaps that referred particularly to scions
for grafting rather than budding.

THE CHAIRMAN: I would like to ask Mr. Wiggins that question, he is a
specialist.

MR. WIGGINS: One of the dangers in keeping bud wood is that of keeping
it in too much moisture. It does not require much to keep the bud plump.

THE SECRETARY: I understand the reason for soaking is simply to allow
the bud to be taken off.

THE CHAIRMAN: Yes.

MR. JONES: In our experience the soaking of wood does not injure it for
budding, but it does for grafting. You can soak the wood for budding all
you want to, we have soaked it until the top bud came out.

THE SECRETARY: I am interested in knowing about this special wax cloth.
Can it be used also in grafting?

THE CHAIRMAN: The other is much cheaper for that purpose. To just cover
the thing up and exclude the air is all that is necessary in grafting.
Liquid wax--four of rosin, four of tallow and two of beeswax--gives
excellent results, but for budding purposes it is absolutely essential
to have good clean wax, and for our purposes we have never found
anything but pure beeswax would answer.

THE SECRETARY: There is a substance called "white wax" which pharmacists
use in making toilet preparations--purified beeswax. It is pure white.
Is that any advantage?

THE CHAIRMAN: I would not use it. It contains some paraffine.

THE SECRETARY: It should consist of purified and bleached beeswax only.
It is more expensive than the ordinary beeswax.

[Read by title.]

UNUSUAL METHODS OF PROPAGATING NUT TREES

DR. ROBERT T. MORRIS, NEW YORK CITY

With the exception of the chestnut and the almond, much difficulty has
been experienced in propagating most of the nut trees of temperate
latitudes by budding or by grafting. This appears to be largely due to
the slow formation of callus which is to make new cell connection
between the cambium