November r, 1882.J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICUL lURIST. 



391 



THE SELECTION OF THE IIUDS. 



It is all important that the huds be true to name ; 

 hence they should be taken from bearing trees. When 

 a fruit tree has completud its growth for the season, 

 that is, when the branches have ceased to increase in 

 length, there then appears in the aj:il of each leaf — the 

 angle where the leaf joins the stem — a bud. Examine any 

 shoot of the current season's growth , and these buds will 

 be fomid ; those near the end of the shoot will be im- 

 matm-e, those at its base small anfl poorly developed, 

 while between these extremes will be several well-formed, 

 plump buds. In securing the buds, take always the .shoots 

 that have grown this year. Such sticks of buds may be 

 cut, and if prevented from drying, may be kept in good 

 condition for a week or ten days. When the shoots are cut, 

 the le.aves should at once be removed by cutting through the 

 petiole, or leaf-stalk, half of which should remain attached 

 to the slioot. Such sticks of buds may be kept in damp 

 moss, damp sawdust, or be wrapped in wet cloths. If simply 

 moistened and inclosed in a tight tin box, they will keep well. 



THE TIME FOR DI'DDING. 



varies with the kind of fruit, the locality, and the season. 

 The usual succession is Plum, Pear on Pear stocks, Apple, 

 Cherry, Pear on Quince, and Peach. The precise time for 

 each kind is, when the bark on the stock will "run," — 

 that is, when it will reacUly part from the wood, this 

 being the condition uecessary in the stock; of cour.se the 

 buds must be plumj) and well formed. 



THE OPEKATION OF BUDDING. 



is a very simple one, and those who make a busi- 

 ness of it become very rapid budders. In the 

 largest nursery in the Southern States, the best 



Fig. 4. Fig. 5. 



buddcr is one who was formerly a slave. In the large 

 Peach nurseries, the budder has two assistants ; one goes 

 ahead aud prepares the .stocks, by rubbing or cutting off 

 twigs, au'l remo\nng leaves from the place where the 

 bud is to go ; the other follows and ties the buds. Of 

 course the amateur who iuserts but a few buds, will 

 perform all these operations for himself. It is a matter 

 of importance to put the bud on the right side of the 

 stock. If the rows run east and west, the bud is inserted 

 on the north side, and when they run north and south, 

 on the \^'est side. It is also important to insert the bud as 

 low down on the stock as a proper place can be foimd for it. 



THE BUDDING-KNIFE. 



is the only implement used in budding, and evei^y builder 

 has his own notions as to the proper form of the b'ade. 

 Budding-knives, like that in fig. ], are made with a thin 

 ivory p':*nt at the end, for the purpose of lifting the 

 bark, bul exiierienccd budders use the blade for both 

 making the cuts and lifting the bark. The first step is, 

 to select the place for the in.sertion of the bufl. Two 

 cuts are made upon the stock, down through the bark 

 to the wood ; one crosswise, and the other extending 

 from this downwards, forming a T-like incision, as in 

 fig. 2. Figure 3 shows the corners of the bark lifted, 

 ready for the bud. The bud is now to lie separated 



from the stick, though some budders first cut the bud, 

 and hold it between the hps until they have made the 

 cuts upon the stock. Figure 4 shows the manner of 

 removiug the bud from the stick ; the knife enters at ,•( half 

 an inch above the bud, and by a downward cut, comes out 

 at 11 three-quarters of an inch below it. In making this 



Fig. 6. Fig. 7. Fig. S. 



cut to remove the bud, as little wooil as possible is to 

 taken off with it. When the bud is removed, it will 

 consist of, besides the bud itself, a shield of bark, a 

 portion of petiole or leaf-stalb that has been left attached, 

 and a small j^ortion of wood removed in the cutting, as 

 in fig. 5. European budders direct the removal of the 

 attached piece of wood, but our budders pay little at- 

 tention to it, as unless it parts very readily from the 

 shield of bark, the base of the bud may be injm-ed by 

 its removal. Holding the shield of bark and its bud by 

 the leaf-stalk as a handle, it is placed in the incision ■ 

 (fig. 3), and pushed well down. If the stock is in the 

 right condition for budding, the pushing of the bud to 

 its place will be easily done, and the b;a'k upon the stock 

 need only to be lifted at the corners of the cut, to 

 allow of the entrance of the shield ; the bark at the upper 

 end of the shield is then cut square .across, so that it 

 may fit the horizontal cut on the stock. Figure G shows 

 the bud in place, and ready to be tied. The tying material 

 is usually bass-bark, moi.stened to make it flexible ; woollen 

 and cotton yarn are both used, and .'■ome budders use 

 thin and flexible corn-husks, selected from the interior 

 layers .at husking time. Figure 7 shows one method of 

 tying buds, and fig. 8 another. In all cases, the object is 

 to hold the parts in closest possible contact, and yet 

 not injiu-e the bud. In about 10 days, or two weeks, 

 after the iusertion, the buds must I'e looked to; the 

 stock is still growing, antl a serious strangulation may 

 occur if the ties are left as they were applied. At this 

 time it may be ascertained if the oj)Tation has been 

 successful, or if the bud has "taken." If the bud and 

 its bark look shrivelled, and the attached leaf-stalk is still 

 remaining and dead, the operation has failed. If, how- 

 ever, the bud is still plump, the .shield of bark bright, 

 and the bit of leaf-.stalk has dropped, the operation is 

 successful. In case of failure, and tli ■ stock is still in 

 good condition, another bud may be iiiserted ; otherwise 

 the stock may be left until next spring, and then be 

 grafted. \Alien the luds are found to be all right, the 

 tie may be loosened, or cut through, to allow of the 

 growth of the stock. The inexperienced will do better 

 to loosen the knot sidEciently to allow of the increase 

 in diameter of the stock, but retain the tie to protect 

 the bud until later. When a bud h; s taken, and the 

 ties loosened, nothing more is to be done until the fol- 

 lowing spring, when all of the stock above the bud is 

 to be cut away. It is, of course, important to properly 

 label fill! budileil trees, that the kiixl of bud inserted 

 may b*^ known. In nurseries, this is done by labelling 

 the rows, but in small operations, the stocks may each 

 be marked by a label* with the variety of bud inserted. 

 — Amcncan Ac/riculturiit. 



