Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-02
BUDDING PEACH TREES.

To the Editors of the Union and American:
1 was first instructed in the old plan
known as the 7 cut, slow and difficult
operation to perform. Many of the budds
die from the bark being bruised in getting
up the corners to insert the buds, and the
drying of the bark causes the bud to die.
Near forty years since / budded over two
thousand trees in that way, and more than
half died. In finishing the last few rows
/ was tired and commenced sighting my
work, as thought, but the result proved
a great success, making discovery that
/ never would have found out. Any in
telligent person can learn in ten minutes.
If few evenings were devoted to
such instructions in our district
schools throughout the State, at
the proper season of the year, the
young men and boys could instruct others,
and in a few years we would have but
few inferior trees in the whole State.
Your correspondent F. Nj. Woodall,
wishes some of your numerous readers to
give the following information: The
cause of failure in budded peach trees
when the common seeding may be found
in full bearing. Some of the causes are:
First the large and finer peach has but
few blooms. 10 passing such tree in
bloom it would hardly be noticed, while
the seeding may be seen mile, with
five times as many blooms as the finer or
budded tree. The time for budding is
August and September. The new growth
of the limb is then sufficiently matured to
bud. That portion of the limb that
bloomed the previous spring will never
bloom again. The new growth of last
summer will bloom the following spring.
The sod should be drilled, three and
a half feet in the row, one foot in
the drill. The bottom limbs should be
trimmed off close, when two months old.
By the middle of August they Will be
about three feet high. Cut the slips
from the pest fruit, placing the cut ends
in water. Have beeswax, cut thin, and
made warm, by the sun or otherwise a
sharp knife of medium size, and ball of
wooden thread The bud should be above
the ground. Place the knife Immediately
above leaf, cutting square across the
tree down to the wood, then turn the
knife back down, cutting up to the first
cut removing the leaf; then cut the bud
in the same way, cutting close above the
bud and turn the knife as before,
making the bud about three-eighths
of an inch in length; dip it in water,
placing the bud on the first cut
making close fit at the top, which is
easy done as it makes but little difference
about the lower or thin end of the bud;
then put the wax closely around the wood
SO as to exclude the air, letting the wax
extend above the top of the bud, then a
few rounds of thread to hold all the parts
together. If the bud should die it will
dry up and another should be inserted as
| above.
In the spring, when the buds begin to
swell, cut off the whole to about two
inches above the bud inserted; keep all
sprouts off, and by the next fall the bud
will have made tree as large as if it had
not been cut.
My reason for inserting the bud where
leaf had grown is that noticed when
pruning my trees the sprouts would be
thrown out at the edge of the wound,
and grow three feet in one year, when
the growth in the other limbs would be
but few inches. The sap that flows TO
support the leaf will give immediate
nourishment to the bud.