44 



PROPAGATION BY BUDDING. 



The essential requisites for success in budding, are first, 

 a thrifty, rapidly growing stock, so that the bark will peel 

 very freely. Secondly, a proper time ; not too early, when 

 there is little cambium, or mucilaginous cement between 

 the bark and the wood, for the adhesion of the bud, nor 

 too late, when the bark will not peel freely, nor the subse- 

 quent growth sufficiently cement the bud to the stock. 

 T.-iirdhj, buds sufficiently mature. Fourthly, a keen flat 

 knife, for shaving off the bud, that it may lie close in con- 

 tact upon the wood of the stock. Fifthly, the application ot 

 a ligature with moderate pressure, causing 

 the bud to fit the stock closely. 



Various modifications have been proposed 

 for the improvement of budding. One is to 

 make the cross-cut at the bottom of the long 

 slit instead of at the top, as the latter is sup- 

 posed to impede the descent of nourishment. 

 Another is, to raise the bark all on one side 

 of the slit, making a small notch in its 

 edge for the bud, this mode being supposed 

 to avoid the bad consequences of the muti- 

 lation of the wood by the knife. But these 

 modes are both inconvenient, and are found 

 to possess no advantage in practice ; the 

 supposed evils they are intended to obviate 

 being too small to take into account. Making 

 a square cut from the upper end of the bark 

 of the inserted bud, so that it may fit in 

 close contact with the bark of the stock at 

 the horizontal incision, to receive the re- 

 Fig. 32. turning sap, though strongly recommended, 

 has been found of no utility in practice, as the union takes 

 place wholly between the two faces in contact. 



The English practice of taking out the small portion of 

 wood cut from the shoot, has been found in the climate of 

 this country not only useless, but really detrimental. In- 

 deed it often happens that buds of the cherry and other 

 trees of rather spongy growth and slow adhesion, succeed 

 much better when a thick portion of wood is taken off with 

 the bud than otherwise ; the wood in such cases assisting 

 in the retention of moisture until cemented to the stock. 



