APPENDIX. 233 



BUDDING. 



The young- orchard may be budded. Budding is the insertion of a bud, 

 with some bark attached, under the bark of the stock so that the growing 

 cells of the bud and the stock are in contact. Budding may be done when- 

 ever the bark will peel, which hapjjens in early spring and later on from 

 June till September, or even later. Budding is usually done in August, but 

 in this latitude the buds on the new wood are sufficiently mature for use by 

 the middle of June. August buds usually remain dormant until the follow- 

 ing spring, but June buds make a foot and a half of growth the same season 

 if the orchard is well cultivated. 



The buds may be inserted on the branches, on the body, or in both of these 

 positions on the same tree. In budding the branches, three to five small 

 limbs are selected, which, taken alone, form a well-balanced top. No two 

 branches should be ojiposite, and it is advisable to have them five or six 

 inches apart. The buds should be inserted so that they will eventually 

 develop into a shapely top. It is generally advisable to insert the buds 

 .several inches from the trunk, so that the same branch can be rebudded or 

 grafted if the bud dies. If the orchard is an exposed location, the August 

 budded branches should be headed back in the fall to prevent the winter 

 winds from breaking them at the point where the bud is inserted. In the 

 spring the biidded branches are cut oft" about an inch beyond the buds, and 

 the unbudded branches are all removed as soon as the buds start into growth. ' 

 A month later, when the buds have grown a foot, and the danger of breaking- 

 out is lessened, the stub beyond the bud should be cut back close to the point 

 where the bud is inserted, so that it may heal over during the season. In 

 June budding, the budded branches are treated in the same way as soon as 

 the buds have set. 



The branch-budded tree develops into a beautifully- formed specimen when 

 all of the buds grow: but, like the branch-grafted ti^ee, the top is ill-shaped 

 if the buds do not start. If June budding is practiced the naissing places 

 can be filled with August buds, while the top can be balanced by whip- 

 grafting the following spring whenever an August bud fails to grow. 



The most satisfactory form of top-working is body-budding with three to 

 five buds. The buds are inserted spirally around the tree five or six inches 

 apart, though the branches of the stock sometimes interfere with an ideal 

 arrangement. The emjjhatic advantage of this method lies in the ability of 

 any one of the buds to form the top if the others perish, for the surviving 

 bud grows out as a leader and eventually straightens into a perfect top. 



Budding is usually more satisfactory than grafting. It is easier to per- 

 form, more quickly done, the wound is not so severe, and the several portions 

 heal more rapidly, with less danger of infecting the body of the tree with 

 organisms that may eventually lead to its decay. But the top-worker will 

 find that the best results follow the adoption of both methods on the same 

 tree whenever one is needed to supplement the other. 



