VIL PROPAGATION 143 
soon wither if they are left on. A quantity of buds 
may be carried about for some time without taking 
‘any harm if the leaves are thus removed at once: 
but if a great quantity is taken at a time, or the 
buds have been received by post, it is better to carry 
them about in water. 
Standard stocks are budded upon the laterals, the 
growth of the year, as close to the upright stem as 
possible. The general practice is to bud two 
branches, for the insect pests which attack the 
srowing bud in the spring will be found to be 
far more prevalent on standards than on dwarfs. 
Should both of these fail, a use will be found for 
the other laterals, which have not been removed for 
the reasons given above, for it will be better to bud 
on these fresh shoots as the reserved ground than 
on one where a bud has already failed. 
Like the buds, the branches of the stock should 
be ‘“ half-ripe.”” If worked on too soon, while still 
soft, or when the wood appears green instead of 
white when the bark is turned back, the chances of 
success are much diminished, and the shoot is very 
likely to break off at the cross cut. If attempted 
too late, a stock which has not got a strong root- 
hold often ceases to grow for a while in a dry 
August, and the flow of sap being lessened, the bark 
does not rise freely ‘and readily. It is absolutely 
useless to attempt budding in such a case, where 
there is any difficulty in raising the bark. An 
experienced eye can generally tell by the appearance 
of growth or the want of it in the tips of the shoots, 
whether the bark will rise and budding may be done. 
Do not necessarily choose the strongest laterals, 
but medium-sized shoots half-ripe but growing 
