JULY] THE NURSERY. 469 



approved kinds, such may be budded with any favorite sorts ; this 

 may be performed either upon strong shoots of the present year, or 

 on clean young branches of two years' growth or more ; several buds 

 may be inserted in each tree, in different parts, by which means they 

 will be furnished with a sufficiency of new wood of the desired kinds ; 

 and in two or three years they will bear abundantly. 



Should it be found necessary to immerse the cuttings from which 

 you take your buds in water, place therein only about an inch of 

 their lower ends ; the upper parts will be more congenially refreshed 

 by that means than if the cuttings were entirely covered ; and, more- 

 over, the buds which are soaked for any considerable time in water 

 will be so saturated with moisture as to prevent their imbibing the 

 more congenial sap of the stocks, so that they often miscarry. For 

 the proper stocks to work the various kinds upon see page 259, &c. 



When the stocks are from about half an inch, or a little less, to 

 an inch or more in diameter in the places where the buds are to be 

 inserted, they are then of a proper size for working. 



In order to perform the operation you must be provided with a 

 neat sharp budding-knife, having a flat thin haft to open the bark of 

 the stock for the admission of the bud, and, likewise, with a quantity 

 of new bass-strings, which are certainly the best of all bandages, or if 

 such cannot be obtained, some soft woollen yarn to tie round it when 

 inserted. 



Observe that the head of the stock is not to be cut off as in graft- 

 ing; that the bud is to be inserted into the side, and the head 

 suffered to remain until the spring following, when it is to be cut qff 

 above the bud, as directed on page 269. 



METHODS OP BUDDING OR INOCULATING. 



1. Having your cuttings, knife, and bandages ready, fix upon a 

 smooth part on the side of the stock at whatever height you intend 

 to bud it; with your knife make a horizontal cut across the bark of 

 the stock quite through to the firm wood ; then from the middle of 

 this cut make a slit downwards, perpendiculary, about an inch and 

 a half long, going also quite through to the wood, so that the two 

 cuts together may be in the form of the letter T; then with the 

 point of your knife raise the bark a little at the angles formed by 

 the two cuts, in order to make room for the flat part of the haft to 

 enter and raise the bark. 



This done, proceed with all expedition to take off a bud, having 

 immediately previous to the commencement cut off all the leaves, 

 leaving about an inch of the footstalk to each bud, and holding the 

 cutting in one hand, with the thickest end outward; then enter the 

 knife about half an inch, or rather more, below a bud, cutting nearly 

 half way into the wood of the shoot, continuing it with one clean 

 slanting cut about as much more above the bud, so deep as to take 

 off part of the wood along with it, the whole from an inch and a 

 quarter to an inch and a half long ; directly take out the woody part* 

 remaining in the bud, which is easily done by placing the point of 

 the knife between the bark and wood, at either end, but the upper 



