46 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 



bearing trees, in February or March, and preserve 

 them in boxes of sand in a cellar, in the same manner 

 as if intended for grafting, These may be preserved 

 in a good condition for use, until June or July, and 

 may be employed either for grafting or budding as 

 may be preferred. The process of budding 1 hold in 

 preference to that of grafting ; it is neater and may be 

 performed with more facility, and more certainty of 

 taking effect, and when the buds are taken from a sci- 

 on of the last year's growth, it will, if the season prove 

 favourable^ shoot two or three feet in length before 

 winter, and will produce fruit as soon as if grafted. 

 Not only young stocks, but the branches of large trees 

 maybe budded successfully. In order to render the 

 operation the more certain, we may avail ourselves of 

 a double advantage by inserting in the month of April 

 both scions and buds into the same stock ; and if found 

 necessary, the operation may be repeated every ten 

 or twelve days, until the new buds formed in July and 

 August are sufficiently matured to be employed. 

 These buds should be taken from the best grown shoots 

 of the present year, selecting those that are well form- 

 ed, large and plump ;but these will be one year long- 

 er in producing fruit. In about eight or ten days the 

 wrapping strings should be loosened, and if the buds 

 have not effected a union in that time, they will in 

 general entirely fail ; and if the buds, instead of being 

 fresh and plump, then appear of a dark colour, shrunk, 

 and withered, the stocks should be immediately re- 

 budded. Instead of Mr. Knight's method, by a strong 

 ligature above the inserted bud, to force a supply of 

 sap, another advocate for early budding has adopted 

 a mofle which will be preferred by some as being more 

 natural and simple. (New Eng. Farmer, vol. 1, p. 

 146.) So soon as it can be ascertained that the bud 

 will liv^, which he says may be in about a week, if 

 the stock be small let it be instantly headed down just 



