BUDDING. 



the purpose of making small trees. The Pear is worked either upon Pear seedlings, 

 which are called free stocks, or upon the Quince, to make dwarfs ; occasionally it is 

 worked upon the Mountain Ash and Thorn. But it must be borne in mind that 

 while all varieties succeed on the Pear seedling, a certain number fail entirely on the 

 other stocks we have named. Lists of such as succeed particularly well on the Quince 

 will be found in previous numbers of the Horticulturist. The Cherry is worked either 

 upon seedlings of what is known as the Mazzard, a small, black, sweet cherry, that 

 forms a very large, robust tree ; or, for dwarfs, on the Mahaleh, or perfumed cherry, 

 which is a small tree with bitter fruit, about as large as a common pea. 



In the second place, the buds must be in a proper state. The shoot, or scion 

 budded fi-om, must be the present season's growth, and it should be mature — that is, 

 it should have completed its growth, which is indicated by the formation of a bud on 

 the point, called the terminal bud, and the buds inserted should all be wood buds. 

 On a shoot of this kind there are a number of buds unsuitable for working ; those, at 

 the base, being but partially developed, are liable to become dormant, and those on the 

 point, where the wood is pithy perish. The ripening, or maturing of the buds, must 

 regulate the period of budding, so that the time at which any given tree, or class of 

 trees should be worked, depends upon the season, the soil, and other circumstances 

 which control the ripening of wood. In our climate Plums usually complete their 

 growth earlier than other fruit trees, and are, therefore, budded first ; we usually 

 have ripe buds by the middle of July. In some cases, when the stocks are likely to 

 stop growing early, it becomes necessay to take the buds before the entire shoots have 

 completed their growth, and then the ripe buds from the middle and lower parts are 

 chosen. Cherries come next, and are generally worked about the first of August. 

 The buds must be mature, or a failure will be certain. 



In the third place, the stock must be in the right condition — that is, the bai-k must 

 lift freely and cleanly from the wood, and there must be a sufficient quantity of sap 

 between the bark and wood to sustain the inserted bud and form a union with it. 

 Stocks, such as the common sorts of Plum, Pear, and Cherry, that finish their growth 

 early, must be worked early; while such as the Peach, Quince, wild or native Plum, 

 Mahaleb Cherry, &c., that grow late, must be worked late. If these stocks that grow 

 freely tiU late in the autumn be budded early, the buds will be either covered up — 

 "drowned," as it is technically called — by the rapid formation of new woody sub- 

 stance, or they will be forced out into a premature growth. 



A very great degree of sappiness, in either the stock or bud, makes up, in part, 

 for the dryness of the other. Thus, in the fall, when Plum buds are quite dry, we 

 can work them successfully on stocks that are growing rapidly. This is a very fortu- 

 nate circumstance, too. Young stocks with a smooth, clean bark, are more easily 

 and successfully worked than older ones, and when it happens that the latter have to 

 be used, young parts of them should be chosen to insert the bud on. 



In localities where buds are liable to injury from freezing and thawing in the winter, 

 buds are safer on the north side of the stock, and when exposed to danger 

 they should be inserted on the side facing the point where the most dangi 



