442 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



two in a place where it will warm up gradually This starts a sappy 

 loosing of bark so it can be peeled clean from the stick. Buds may be 

 used even if swelled somewhat, but those showing color will die. Little 

 spherical, hard and sound buds, are most successful. 



The stocks must always be full of sap so the bark will lift easily enough 

 to force the bud under it. 



Seedlings and branches on older trees to be budded are cut off three 

 weeks before budding about a foot above the point of insertion. This 

 seems to thicken the sap so that when the buds are inserted they stick 

 before they dry out and the sap does not "drown" the buds. If sap flow in 

 the stock is weak, the cutting back seems to loosen the bark from the 



W The shield of bark containing a bud is cut about an inch above and below 

 it and a quarter inch on each side, tapering to blunt ends. It is cut nar- 

 rower if the stock is of smaller diameter than the budstick. The upper 

 end of the bark shield is grasped and peeled clean from the wood. The 

 ordinary T cut is made in the stock and the shield with its bud is cut and 

 slipped in immediately and tied with a cotton string around the stock from 

 the top of the slit downward to prevent the bud slipping upward as it 

 might if tied from the bottom up. It is wrapped quite tight, so that 

 the sap oozes from the bottom of the slit while tying showing that no 

 air is left under the bud. No wax or other dressing is used. About two 

 weeks later the string is cut on the back side of the stock. When the 

 shoot has started vigorously, cut the stock above the bud back to a three- 

 inch stub. Tie the shoot to this stub to protect it against wind. Cut the 

 stub off smooth a year later so it will heal over quickly and paint the 

 wound with asphalt. 



For summer budding, buds of the current season's growth are put into 

 shoots of the current season's growth. Such budding, done even as late 

 as October, has made enough growth to ripen before winter, but ordinarily 

 it is well to get it all done by the last of August. 



Grafting the Walnut. Grafting into black walnut seedling root 

 can also be well done by a triangular cut into the edge of the root 

 stump, as described for grafting into grape-vine stumps in Chapter 

 XXVI. In the case of the walnut, close binding with a wax band 

 is desirable. 



Large walnut trees can be worked over either by budding or 

 grafting. If by budding, the large limbs are cut back in the winter, 

 and in autumn following, buds are put in as many of the new 

 shoots as may be desired, or, in the case of younger trees, the buds 

 are put under the bark of the branches without forcing out new 

 growth. 



Grafting over is desirable either for substituting a better variety 

 of English walnut, or for working over a California black walnut 

 into an English variety. Mr. J. B. Neff, of Anaheim, who has 

 worked over many old trees, gives the following practical sug- 

 gestions : 



If the trees are from three to five inches in diameter they may be cut 



it at about four feet above the ground and below the branches, then four 



nve scions may be placed on one stock, or three or four of the branches 



may be cut back to within 10 to 24 inches of the trunk and two or three 



scions placed on each. All the other branches should be removed from the 



trunk. 



Old trees of from 12 to 20 years should have the branches cut at places 

 where they are from three to six inches in diameter, and from five to eight 

 stubs left, which will be from three to six feet in length and should have 

 is many as six scions in the large stubs, the other branches being removed 

 before the scions are put in place 



