PROPAGATION OF CITRUS TREES. 191 



Budding Old StocJcs. If an attempt is made to in- 

 sert buds in old stems or trunks, it will be found a diffi- 

 cult task to perform by the shield method, with an inverted 

 T incision. The bark may separate readily from the wood, 

 but even then, when the attempt is made to lift it away 

 to allow the insertion of the bud, being quite thick and 

 brittle, it generally breaks or cracks. But buds may be 

 inserted by using a curved incision. Angular budwood, 

 as shown in fig. 48 should be chosen. From this, buds are 

 removed as already directed, but the stick is held with 

 the bud well to one side so that when the bud is cut off it 

 is either at the left or the right side of the shield instead of 

 being in the center. Then the curved incision is made in 

 the stock to right or left to suit the bud. The bark is 

 then carefully lifted and the bud inserted and tied, leav- 

 ing the bud well out at the side of the curve. This method 

 should be known as shield-budding with a curved incision. 



The after treatment of the buds is the same as in 

 ordinary shield-budding. 



GRAFTING. 



As already stated, the propagation of nursery trees 

 is accomplished almost entirely by budding. Grafting 

 is objectionable in this line of work because it cannot be 

 done so rapidly and besides the whole top of the stock 

 is often wasted, whereas, in budding, if the bud fails to take, 

 a second attempt may be made shortly afterwards on the 

 same stock. 



Nevertheless, in some special cases, grafting is prefer- 

 able to budding. Such is .often the case in working over 

 old trees which have been frozen back. If they are to be 

 budded, some time must elapse before the buds can be 

 inserted. Sometimes it is necessary to wait until sprouts 



