BUD 



BUD 



gize for budcUng on, though it may be performed 

 upon stocks from the size of a goose-quill, to an 

 inch or more in size. It must be performed prin- 

 cipally, as has been seen, upon stocks or trees of 

 the same genus, as it is but few trees that will suc- 

 ceed upon stocks of different liencra. Peaches and 

 nectarines, however, grow freely upon plum- 

 stocks, as being very nearly related, which are 

 the most common stocks on which these sorts 

 are usually budded. But in most other kinds 

 of fruit- or other trees, the stocks of the same 

 genus must be had recourse to, both for budding 

 and grafting on. 



Stocks are commonly raised from seed, as the 

 kernels or stones of these sorts of fruit. Sec. 

 sown in autumn or spring, in beds in the nur- 

 sery, an inch or t\\o deep ; which, when a \ear 

 or two old, should be transplanted into the 

 imrsery-ground, in rows two leet asunder, and 

 fifteen or eighteen inches distant in the rows; 

 to stand for budding, keeping them to one stem, 

 and suflering their tops to run up entire. Stocks 

 are also often raised from suckers arising from 

 the roots of the trees of their respective sorts; 

 likewise by layers and cuttings of the several 

 kinds. See Stocks. 



The operation of budding may also be per- 

 formed upon trees that already bear fruit, when 

 intended to change the sorts, or have different 

 sorts on the same tree, or to renew any parti- 

 cular branches of a tree, performing the work 

 with the young shoots of the year, or of one or 

 two years' growth. 



The most suitable season for performing the 

 operation of budding is from about the middle 

 ot July until the middle or latter end of the follow- 

 ing month : some however begin to bud in June; 

 but the buds inserted so early, are many of them 

 apt to shoot the same year; and the shoots not 

 having time to harden, are liable to be killed 

 by frosts in winter. The buds should always 

 have finished their spring growth, and come off 

 readily before they are eyed. 



The buds for this use should be taken only 

 from the young shoots of the same summer's 

 growth, which should be cut from the most 

 healthy and thriving trees of the sorts intended 

 to be propagated; and if fruit-trees, from such 

 as bear the finest fruit of the different kinds and 

 varieties. A quantity of the best 'moderately 

 strong young shoots should be cut each day as 

 they are wanted ; and, as they are collected, all 

 the leaves cut off, with about a quarter of an 

 inch of their foot-stalks remaining, trimming 

 off also the soft unripened top-ends of the cut- 

 tings; they should then be covered from the 

 sun and air, and taken as wanted. And as 



each cutting furnishes many buds, they should 

 be cut into pieces about an inch and a half long, 

 as they are inserted into the stocks. Those buds 

 in the middle part of the cuttings are preferable 

 to those towards the ends. 



It is the conmion practice to insert one bud 

 onlv in each stock; but some place two, one on 

 each side, opposite each other. 



The proper height to bud the stocks at varies 

 accorcfnig to circumstances. For dwarf-trees 

 for walls and espaliers, 8cc. they should be 

 budded from within about three to six inches of 

 the bottom, that they may at first furnish 

 branches near the ground. For half-standards, 

 at the height of three or four feet ; and for full 

 standards, at from five to six or seven feet 

 height; the stocks being trained accordingly. 

 For half and full standards, the budding nia\-, 

 how ever, if necessaiT, be performed as low in 

 the stock as for dwarfs, and the first shoot from 

 the bud trained up to a proper height for a 

 stem . 



The proper apparatus for budding are, a small 

 knife with a flat thin haft, for preparing the 

 stock and buds for insertion, and opening the 

 bark of the stock, to admit them, and a quan- 

 tity of irew bass strings to tie them, which 

 should be previously well soaked in water to ren- 

 der them more tough. 



As in this operation the head of the stock is 

 not cut ofT, as in grafting, but left entire 

 till the spring afterwards, and then cut off, 

 a smooth part on the side of the stock, at the 

 proper height, rather on the northward side, 

 away from the sun, should be chosen for in- 

 serting the buds in; which should be done by 

 making a horizontal cut across the rind of the 

 stock, and from the middle of that a slit down- 

 wards about two inches in length, so that it m.iy 

 have the form of the letter T, being careful not 

 to cut too deep, lest the stock should be 

 wounded ; then having cut off the leaf from the 

 bud, leaving the foot-stalks remaining, a cross 

 cut should be made about half an inch below 

 the eye, and the bud slit off, with part of the 

 wood to it, somewhat in form of an escut- 

 cheon : after this, that part of the wood which 

 was taken with the bud should be separated, 

 taking care that the eye of the bud be left; all 

 those buds which lose their eyes in stripping, 

 are useless; then gently raise the bark of the 

 stock where the cross incision was made, with 

 the flat haft of the knife clear to the wood, and 

 thrust the bud into it; placing it smooth be- 

 tween the rind and the wood of the stock, cut- 

 ting ofl' any part of the rind of the bud, which 

 may be too long for the slit made in the stock j 



