Holding a piece of tape by one end, submerge it in the rubber solution, forcing it down with a spatula or knife.  Swishing it around or moving it up and down several times helps to fill the pores with rubber.  Drag it from the solution by pulling it sharply over the rolled edge of the pail, using the spatula on the upper side of the strip to scrape off superfluous rubber.  A little practice soon enables one to judge the amount of rubber needed on the tape.  There should not be so much that it drips off.  Hang the tape on the rack so that the ends are attached to the rails, the tape sagging slightly in the center.  Space the pieces of tape so that they do not touch, for, if they do, they will be very difficult to separate later.  After they have dried for twenty-four hours, wind the tape on pieces of cardboard about one foot square, being careful not to overlap the tape.  The tape is now ready for field-work.

I want to mention some of the advantages I have found in using this rubberized tape rather than raffia.  The tape is uniform throughout and is stronger than raffia.  It does not fly around and frequently get tangled as the latter does.  There is no necessity for keeping it slightly damp to be usable.  It may easily be torn off at any convenient length or it may be cut without injuring the edge of the grafting knife.  A last advantage is that it is self-sealing since it overlaps on itself slightly when wound around a graft union.  Because of this, there is no necessity for painting the finished graft with melted wax as is absolutely vital when using raffia.  Personally, I use wax in addition to the tape for I feel that it is probably safer with that extra protection.  Also it gives me an opportunity to wax over the tip end of the scion when it is devoid of a terminal bud.

The only disadvantage in using tape is its cost which, I must admit, is very much higher than that of raffia.  But if, by using tape, twice as many grafts can be made each day, and if the resulting takes are 50% better, as they have been in my experience, then the cost is justified and raffia is actually the more expensive to use.

Chapter 18

EFFECTS OF GRAFTING ON UNLIKE STOCKS

It is unquestionably a great shock to a tree when 90% of its top is cut off.  If it is healthy and vigorous, the root system will try to recover, using every means possible to do so.  If a new top is grafted to it, the stock must either accept and nourish that foreign and sometimes incompatible new part, or give up its struggle for life.  Nature and the tree stock usually accept the challenge and the graft begins to grow.  In an attempt to continue with its own identity, the stock will bring into activity adventitious buds.  These are tiny microscopic buds imbedded in the bark of a tree that are not apparent to the eye but are nature’s protection against destruction of the individual plant.  But these must be removed by the horticulturist to insure proper nourishment of the grafts.