112 BUDDING AND GRAFTING. 



point of the bud (by which is meant the bark and wood cut off as 

 well as the bud) is now inserted under the bark at the cross-cut, 

 and is gently pushed down by the leaf stock and knife blade. If 

 the bark of the stock will not raise when the bud is thus pushed 

 down the stock is not in the best condition for budding, and it will 

 be necessary to raise the bark with the back of the knife blade, or 

 with the ivory blade previously referred to, in order to let the bud 

 come into its place. The sides of the bud should come under the 

 bark, but if the wound is not large enough to admit quite all the 

 bud, any small part that may project above the cross-cut should be 

 cut off by again drawing the knife through the cross-cut. The bud 

 must now be securely and firmly tied in place, taking care to draw 

 it down evenly and firmly and to cover all the wounds with the 

 tying material (Fig. 86), but not to draw the string over the bud 

 itself. In less severe sections the ties do not need such careful 

 attention as here in the northwestern states, where it is im- 

 portant to tie very carefully. After the bud is tied the bands 

 should be watched so that when the growth of the stock becomes 

 so great that the bands are too tight for it (which is generally in 

 about a week) they should be loosened, and when the bud is well 

 united the band should be cut off altogether. The buds will gener- 

 ally unite in about two weeks, but sometimes they will require a 

 longer time, and it is often desirable to leave the ties on for some 

 little time after this period. It is a bad practice to neglect the 

 bands and allow them to severely cut the stock. 



The inserted buds should not start at all until the following 

 spring. If they start into growth the season they are inserted they 

 are almost certain to be killed the following winter. If the bark of 

 the inserted bud shrivels, or if it remains fresh and the bud falls 

 off the work is entirely lost, though the stocks that have missed 

 one ;/ear may be budded the next, and even while loosening the 

 bands it may not be too late to again bud those that have failed. 

 To make the work more certain two buds are often inserted in each 

 stock, although only one is allowed to grow. 



In the spring the inserted bud will resemble Pig. 88. Just as 

 the buds commence to swell the budded stocks should be cut off at 

 least one inch above the inserted bud, and sometimes seven or eight 

 inches of the old sto~k is left above the bud to serve as a stake to 

 support the shoot starting from the bud (Fig. 87). All the shoots 

 that come from the stock should be rubbed off so that all its 

 strength shall go into the inserted bud (Fig. 87). 



Late in the season the stock should be cut down to just above 

 the bud as shown by the line at B in Fig. 87. The growing shoot 

 should be trained to a single stem if its stock is a low one, so as to 

 make a straight tree. If the root is strong the bud will make a 

 growth of from two to four feet the first year. Some kinds of trees 

 readily take on an upright form, while others naturally grow very 

 crooked and need special care to induce them to grow straight. 



