14 BUDDING THE PECAN. 



succeed at the first trial, it will be advisable to practice for a time on 

 wood which is of no value. The stick of buds should be grasped 

 firmly in the left hand, with the knife held by the fingers of the right, 

 the thumb resting on the bud stick. Insert the point of the knife at 

 one end of one of the longitudinal cuts, pressing the blade toward the 

 thumb; this pressure will start the bark. Next insert the end of the 

 handle of the knife, gradually removing the section. The patch is 

 prepared for insertion by first cutting the two ends as straight as pos- 

 sible, using a very sharp knife. The outer bark at the sides (PI. Ill, 

 fig. 2, A) is then shaved off, so that the edges will make a perfect fit 

 when under the bark of the stock (PI. IV, fig. 1). When the bud is 

 securely in place, the two wings of bark on the stock are bound firmly 

 over the bud section with raffia (PI. IV, fig. 2), and, as a preventive 

 against the admission of water during the process of uniting, a little 

 soft grafting wax may be smeared across the upper transverse cut 

 and the whole wrapped with a narrow strip of waxed cloth (PI. IV, 

 fig- 3)- The wrapping should be started at the bottom, each wrap 

 being half covered by the succeeding one; this will effectually keep 

 out moisture during wet weather. As a protection against the heat 

 of the sun, strips of paper, 8 inches long by 6 inches wide, should be 

 tied around the stem of the stock an inch or two above the bud, but 

 covering it (PI. V, fig. 1), allowing the bottom part to remain open. 

 After the sixth day the paper covering should be removed, and after 

 the tenth day the waxed cloth may be taken off. By the fifteenth day 

 the buds will have united sufficiently to allow of the removal of the 

 raffia. This method of budding will be found to give an exceedingly 

 satisfactory union. Experience has shown that with carefully selected 

 buds from 1-year-old wood and healthy, vigorous growing seedling 

 stocks, every section of bark will unite. 



OTHER METHODS OF BUDDING. 



Sometimes, when the .seedling stocks are small and the size of the 

 section of bark necessary for the union will more than cover half of 

 the circumference of the stem of the stock, a quick growth on the 

 part of the stock will produce a swelling immediately above the upper 

 transverse cut in the bark. This can be averted by the use of a tri- 

 angular patch bud (PI. V, fig. 2), with one of the angles pointing 

 upward. In using this method care must be taken that the three 

 sides of the bud section should exactly fit the sides of the space pre- 

 pared for them. It will be found advisable to smear a small quantity 

 of soft grafting wax over the cut parts after the bud is in position and 

 before tying with raffia. This makes an exceedingly neat union and 

 is best used with small buds. Large ones need a larger section of 

 bark attached. 



In patch budding (PI. Ill, fig. 1) a rectangular piece of bark, similar 

 in size to that given in PI. Ill, fig. 2, is taken from the bud stick. A 



