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gether again The operation of budding is merely transferring a piece 

 of bark, containing a bud, from the desirable tree to a place on the 

 stock from which a corresponding piece of bark has been removed, 

 but to ensure success the following essentials must be observed: — 

 That both the stock and the tree yielding the buds be growing 



rapidly. 



That the bud-wood be a little larger in diameter than the stock, to 

 ensure the area on the under side of the actual bud being brought into 

 close contact with the wood when tied in ; if the bud-wood be less in 

 diameter than the stock, a hollow space will occur between these parts 

 that should be closely applied ; acting with this against success is the 

 thinness of the bark of the younger wood and the consequent impossi- 

 bility of tying in closely. 



That the bud be tied in tightly, especially at the points just below 

 and above the bud proper; but yet not tight enough to crush or bruise 



the bark. 



That the piece of bark containing the bud be removed from the 

 wood without bruising, bearing in mind that bending will bruise or 

 crush the cells of a plant. 



That the moisture be retained in the bud during the time required 

 to join up by using tying material that will prevent evaporation, 

 i.e. waxed tape. This is made by dipping | in. tape into a melted 

 mixture of 1 lb bees'- wax, a piece of resin the size of a hen's egg, and 

 half a wine-glass of raw linseed oil, scraping off the superfluous wax 

 with a dull knife after cooling. 



The bud-wood should be near the stock to ensure no time being lost 

 between the taking off of the bud and its insertion in the stock. 



Practical directions : — 



Use as bud-wood that which was the young shoot at the end of the 

 branch four to six growing seasons ago; that is, four to six "joints" 

 back from the last developed wood, being 1 in. to 1| in. in diameter. 

 Let the piece of bark containing the bud in the cei^tre be three inches 

 long and ab<ait f in, wide, and as near as possible rectangular in shape. 



With a sharp pointed knife run two parallel lines, one on each side 

 of the bud, beginning at a point 1^ inches above and continuing down 

 to a point 2^ inches below the bud, drawing the two lines closer to- 

 gether as the knife approaches the lower point, (this allows an inch or 

 so for laying hold of the bud to pull it away from the wood, and being 

 bruised, this must be carefully cut away before the bud is inserted), 

 taking care to cut quite through the bark into the wood ; join the two 

 upper points with a short straight cut and, with the edge of the knife 

 sloping upwards, join the two lines at a point about a quarter of an 

 inch from the end, i.e. V^ inches below the bud ; now make a similar 

 cut just below this and prize out the small piece of bark between. 

 Having done this, insert the thin ivory handle of a budding knife, 

 lever up the end of the piece of bark, slip the handle under and grip 

 the bark between it and 'he thumb, and pull steadily in the direction 

 of a angle of 45^ witl. the bud-wood until the bud comes out ; now 

 cut off the bruised part that was held between the knife handle and 

 the thumb and and place the bud lightly on the stock at a point w^here 

 the diameter of the branch is a little less than that of the budwood ; 

 run a pencil line a'ong each of the four sides of the bud, remove it 



