168 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



of the branches, when anyone of the buds alone may become a leader 

 and form a top. A single scion is sometimes inserted in the body of 

 the tree, and although it is often successful the method is objection- 

 able, as the stock alone remains if the scion perishes. 



Budding. Budding is the insertion of a bud attached to a 

 piece of bark upon the growing part of the stock. There are many 

 kinds of budding, but the shield bud is usually employed with the 

 more common fruits. The operation may be performed whenever 

 the bark will slip, which occurs just as growth is starting, again in 

 early summer, and in late summer and early fall. In the North 

 budding is usually done from the last of July until the first or 

 middle of September, with mature buds of the season's growth. The 

 buds remain dormant until the next spring. In the South, June 

 budding is also practiced with immature buds, which start into growth 

 the same season. Budding is sometimes done in early spring with 

 dormant buds taken in the winter and retarded in a cool place. 



In top working young trees the budding may be done in the 

 branches, on the body, or in both in combination. The branches 

 are selected in the same manner as outlined for grafting, though a 

 bud may be inserted in the body of the tree if no branch is suitably 

 located. The buds should be inserted on the branches several inches 

 from the body of the tree, so that the same branch may be rebudded 

 or grafted if the original bud perishes. With spring budding, a sec- 

 ond bud may be inserted in June if the first bud dies, and a bud may 

 be inserted in the fall if a June bud dies. A graft may be set or a 

 bud inserted in the spring on a branch in which a fall bud dies. 



One of the most satisfactory methods of budding young trees 

 is to insert the buds in the body. An ideal top can be formed, as 

 the buds can usually be placed in the most desirable positions on the 

 body. A striking advantage also lies in the capacity of any single 

 bud to form a leader and make a top in case of the death of the 

 remaining buds. 



Budding is usually more satisfactory than grafting. The opera- 

 tion is more simple, the wound heals more quickly, and the form of 

 the tree can be regulated to better advantage by inserting the buds 

 on the body, but the most satisfactory results follow the adoption 

 of both branch and body budding on the same tree when one is 

 needed to supplement the other. 



Care of the Top-Worked Young Orchard. The spring grafted 

 or the spring or fall budded tree should have the remaining branches 

 removed as soon as the scions or buds start into growth. The branch 

 should be cut off an inch or two beyond the bud, and a month or two 

 later, when the danger to the new shoot from blowing out is lessened, 

 it should be cut close to the shoot, so that the end of the branch may 

 heal over during the season. It is not always advisable to remove 

 the entire top from a June-budded tree as soon as growth starts, as 

 the buds may grow too vigorously and be blown out. If the water 

 shoots that arise on the body and branches are left until the next 

 spring, the growth of the buds will be retarded. 



The top-worked tree needs the most careful attention during 



