derable loss of scions because
an excess of water causes the scion shoots to grow too rapidly before
wound repair has taken place to the point necessary for conducting
nutrition for the growing shoots. Grafting after the leaves are pretty
well out on the tree has given me best success. Grafting from then up to
the last week in July has been found to be practical. Scions for
topworking hickories have been employed for what I call "mediate" and
"immediate" grafting. By mediate grafting is meant the employment of
scions which have been cut while they were dormant and which have been
stored in any appropriate way. Immediate grafting means the transference
of scions cut from one tree and used upon another in the same hour or
day. Mediate grafting is the sort which belongs to all history of the
subject and immediate grafting relates more particularly to my recent
experimental work.

* * * * *

MR. BECHTEL: What kind of wax did you use if any besides paraffin?

DR. MORRIS: I have given up everything but that. The paraffin has a
number of special advantages. In the first place, it seals any wound
against infection from bacteria or fungi. It prevents moisture from rain
carrying bacteria into the wound. It prevents evaporation from the cut
surfaces.

MR. BECHTEL: Doesn't it melt too much in the sun?

DR. MORRIS: It might with you and you might need to use a harder
paraffin. There are a great many kinds of paraffin. The paraffin series
is a large one in chemistry. The one I find best for our locality is the
common parowax that you can find in any grocery store. I use just the
pure straight thing but in your country you are further south and may
need a different one. It does melt some in the middle of a hot day and
will be nearly fluid sometimes but it hardens up when the sun goes down.

MR. FOSTER: Were the grafts kept in cold storage?

DR. MORRIS: I have used two ways of keeping grafts for top working. Some
have been kept in cold storage, others have been kept in the ice house.
I have been in the habit of kicking up the sawdust and dropping scions
in the hole not very far above the ice. Last year I could not get any
ice and two years ago I could not get any but the scions kept just as
well in the sawdust near the ground. Then I have kept them packed in
leaves with two feet of leaves on top of the scions. I have also kept
some as Mr. Jones has but the difficulty is in keeping them at the right