FRUIT CULTURE. 



755 



as it is less exposed to the sun. Select a bud from the scion, and with a sharp budding 

 knife, cut a thin, smooth slice of wood and bark containing the bud. Raise the bark on 

 each side of the incision of the stock carefully, just wide enough to admit the bud, and slip 

 the prepared bud gently under to the bottom of the incision. If the upper portion of the 

 bark of the bud projects above the horizontal incision, it should be cut off so as to fit the 

 place completely. Strips of cloth, woolen yarn, and other soft material should next be tied 

 over the wound firmly so as to hold the bud in its place, pressing the bark close to the wood, 

 and leaving the bud only exposed to the light. In two weeks after the operation the bud 

 will look plump and fresh if alive; the bandage may then be loosened, and if the branch has 

 swelled much, it may be removed altogether. If on the other hand the bud has failed, it 

 will look shriveled, and if the bark parts readily another trial may be made. When budding 

 is performed late in the summer it may be well to leave the bandage as a protection during 

 the winter. 



CUTTING A BUD. 



PREPARED STOCK AND BUD. 



As soon as the buds commence swelling in the following spring, the branch budded 

 should be headed down with a sloping back cut within two or three inches of the bud. This 

 will cause the bud to make a vigorous start, as it will then be nourished with a larger amount 

 of sap than otherwise. The shoots near the bud should be removed also, that they may not 

 rob the bud of the nourishment it should receive from the stock. It is a good plan to tie the 

 buds with two distinct bandages, one above the bud and another below. In this case the 

 lower bandage may be removed as soon as the bud has taken, the upper one remaining some 

 time longer, and by its pressure arrest the sap flowing upward in the branch, contributing to 

 the growth of the bud. 



The conditions essential to success in budding may be briefly summarized as follows: 1. 

 The buds must be from healthy, vigorous stocks, and perfectly developed in the axils of the 

 leaves on the young shoots from which they are taken, and the wood must be well matured 

 and ripe. &quot;When the wood is not sufficiently matured, it can be made so in the course of a 



