PROPAGATION OF PLANTS WITHOUT SEEDS 37 



The pits of peaches and plums are hard to start into 

 growth, the shell is too hard for the germ to burst through. 

 They must be frozen over winter or cracked by hand. Fre- 

 quently layers of peach pits are covered with a little sand in 

 shallow boxes. This is called stratifying the pits. These are 

 left exposed to the weather over winter. The action of the 

 frost should crack them. In spring they are to be planted 

 in rows three feet apart in rich garden soil. They are given 

 thorough tillage until August, when they are to be budded. 



Fig. 18. — Method of budding a young fruit tree. A, the bud and surrounding 

 parts cut from a good variety; B, the T-shaped cut in bark of tree to be budded; 

 C, the same rolled back ready to receive the good bud; D, the good bud set in place 

 under bark; E, the bud and bark tied securely in place with waxed knitting cotton 

 or with raffia fiber. 



Peach and plum scions or budding sticks are cut from 

 the new growth on the trees of the desired varieties. The 

 leaves are trimmed off, but stems are left near each bud to 

 aid in handling w^hen the bud is removed from the scion. 

 The buds are inserted on the stocks right away. The oper- 

 ator must get down close to the ground to do the work 

 properly. The top of the seedling stock is cut away early 

 the following spring before the buds swell. This forces all 

 the sap of the root system to the new bud and the growth will 

 be rapid. Ope-year-old trees of peach and plum varieties 



