158 POPULAR FRUIT GROWING. 



The varieties of some ornamental trees and plants may be 

 propagated by budding, as, for instance, some varieties of elm, 

 maple, poplar and birch. Most trees that graft readily will 

 bud as readily, while others that will graft with difficulty will 

 bud very easily. Budding is rather a simpler operation than 

 grafting and easier for the beginner to perform successfully. 



Stocks for budding are generally grown from seed and the 

 buds are inserted in them when they are but a few years old, 

 and as near the ground as possible. But budding may be done 

 very successfully on any growing branch or stem where the 

 bark is not too hard and still bends easily. It is often used to 

 change the bearing qualities of fruit trees of small or medium 

 size. 



Bud-stick is the name given to the shoots from which the 

 buds are taken. It is also referred to as the cion, but the cion 

 proper is the piece which is inserted in the stock. 



Time for Budding. In a general way, budding may be done 

 at any time when the bark will peel, providing the buds are 

 sufficiently matured on the new growth of the season to insert 

 them. The proper time will be influenced by the kind of stock 

 used, the season, and sometimes by attacks of insects or dis- 

 eases. For instance the native plum is generally budded to 

 best advantage about the last of July, but should the stocks be 

 attacked by some insect or disease that seriously injures the 

 foliage in the middle of July, the growth of the stocks will 

 soon be checked and the work must be performed at once or 

 not at all. A period of severe drouth may check the growth, and 

 in a similar way make early budding necessary. If the stocks 

 are growing very fast, it is often best to delay the operation 

 until the wood has become ' somewhat hardened, or else its 

 rapid growth may cover up the inserted bud. If considerable 

 pruning of the stocks is necessary to make a place for the bud, 

 it should be done at least two weeks before budding is com- 

 menced, because the heavy pruning of any plant when in ac- 

 tive growth results in a serious check to its parts. If done just 

 when the buds are inserted, this may prevent the success of 

 the operation. The ordinary season for budding in the North- 



