, 1878-01-04
A Chapter on Budding.

,r,, only Trustworthy rule AS 10 the
\. ;.as for budding is whenever the bark
I'l.H, ! ~ .he stock separates readily from the
'o' or. in technical terms, "tbe sap
~" sni when the shoot from which
tuuI, run hr5. are to be removed is sufficiently
l'' I'D ned In the Middle States, from the
n,, '"S Of August TO the 18th Of September
',n ,,n,snersIly the proper time, although
-. M even cold nights will frequently
nr-ck the flow of sap and cause the bark
,;ahten. When the latter occurs, how
"a, A thorough stirring OF the soil
esn,d the stock will usually cause the
S.,t again to Loosen, provided warmer
t"a,,hef again sets in. Early in the sea
w some kinds Of fruit trees, as the
s",cb will be making an exceedingly
ff;corous growth, 50 much so as to endan'
20 tho success of the operation by the
srress of sap. The latter may be checked
~ simply pinching Oft the tips Of the
O!oUinp shoots. Mahaleb cherry stocks
are especially benefited by this treat,
The operation consists merely in trans
fsrrinp the bud of some valuable variety
10 any good, healthy stock. Having Sc.
lected a few partially-ripened cions from
the variety we wish to perpetuate, trim
off the leaves, leaving about one-fourth
nf an inch of the stem as handle to
force the bud into position. With a
sbarp. thin-bladed knife, take off bud
with a portion of bark and wood attached
entering about oneh half inch below, and
emerging the same above the bud. Care
must be taken to perform this operation
very carefully, as too deep cut gives us
too much wood, and, if too near the
bud, is liable to be injured. Some bud.
ders remove this thin piece of wood, al.
though it is mostly allowed to remain
The most extensive peach-tree growers
use only the bark, with the bud unim-
paired, and prepare it by making the
usual cut, only deeper than by the old
method, but in place of allowing the
knite-bIade to emerge at the lower end
they withdraw it, and simply cut through
the bark at the point, when by the aid
OF Tue val N hhd bul
be readily removed.
The insertion of the bud is the sim
plest part Of the programme. ltconsists
in making a 7 shaped cut through the
bark of the stock, and gently pushing
the prepared bud into place; should the
bark prove somewhat tough, however,
the edges may be slightly raised, but
stocks in this condition must be regarded
with suspicion.
A great deal depends upon tying prop
.ery as | have known great many fail
ures from this cause alone; and it mat
ters but little how carefully the bud is
cut or inserted. Should the string be tied
loosely or carelessly the bud will, in the
majority of cases, fail "to take"
The wrapping should be of some soft,
strong material, the inner bark of the
linden tree or Eastwood being preferred
by our nurserymen generally. This is
prepared by experienced persons during
the summer, and can be procured of any
nurseryman in small quantities. These
strings are stripped into narrow shreds
and we'll dampered. In tying the bud
into position, the string should always
be drawn lightly and evenly, covering up
every portion OF the cut in the stick, al
lowing only the bud to show, bringing
il closely in contact with the stem below,
and drawing it under the point of the
bud above. In about two weeks
the strings will begin to "cut in;
that is, the bark will form in ridges
around the ligatures, owing to the com
preston of the latter, when they should
be slightly loosened, but not removed al.
together; indeed, they should remain in
place until late autumn, when they must
be cut to prevent freezing beneath.
The ensuing spring will determine
whether or not the operation has been
successful, as frequently the bud will ap'
pear all right during winter, yet really
have very little vitality. Head back the
sticks to within three inches of the bud
and as soon as the latter grows, tie it up
to prevent the wind blowing it of. Some
Of our most careful nurserymen stake up
their yearling buds, and it at all rare the
practice is agood one. In private cOlec-
tons it should receive attention. The
subsequent pruning must be governed by
the purchase for which they are intend
ed. ln any event the tips Of the shoot
should be cut off to induce side branche.
If for standard, cut slightly, but il
dwarfs head back to lS or 20 inches
Peaches will be fit for removal when one
year old from the bud.-JOsidh Hopes
in N y J'rsb,,u.