layers of host and of guest. In southern regions of
the United States the union occurs much more readily than in the north.
My experiments have been made chiefly with reference to developing
methods of propagating nut trees in the north. All of the usual methods
common among nurserymen have been practically failures, but certain
unusual methods seem to promise success.

One unusual method which was suggested at last year's meeting by our
member Mr. J. F. Jones, has given a good proportion of catches. This
consists in using wood which is more than one year old for scions. Some
of the scions of shagbark hickory from wood four, five, and even six
years of age have caught. The chief difficulty has consisted in starting
the buds of this old wood (latent buds) before vigorous sprouts from the
stock diverted all the sap. It has been necessary to give much attention
to the removal of these vigorous stock sprouts. I seem to have made the
observation that if a small side branch from old wood carries a large
terminal bud, this bud will start promptly when old wood constitutes the
rest of the scion.

A method which I employed for the first time this year, which appears to
have resulted in securing union between stock and scion, has been
employed between different species of hickory trees. It belongs among
the inarching methods in classification. It seemed probable that if a
scion were to be supplied with sufficient water to prevent drying out,
in advance of granulation-cell connection, we might meet with success.

The first line of experimentation with this idea in mind was conducted
last year. The scion when grafted upon the stock was deprived of its top
bud, and a small test tube filled with water and fitted with a rubber
cap was adjusted over the site previously occupied by the top bud. This
in practical working really did keep the cells of the scion alive and in
good condition for a long time, but there was always a tendency for the
water to become impure because of the growth of various algae and other
microbes. Evidently the water when used in this way helped to furnish a
balance between the negative and the positive sap pressures which occur
under changing conditions of barometer and temperature, and which are
influential in the matter of cellular repair. The introduction of
germicides into the water of the test tube prevented the development of
adventitious organic life, but at the same time seemed to interfere with
norma