PROPAGATION OF FRUIT PLANTS. 



159 



era states is from the middle of July to the first of September, 

 and the earliness or lateness at which a variety is most suc- 

 cessfully budded depends on the condition of growth. The 

 stock that stops growing early in the season is budded early, 

 and those that grow until autumn are budded late. The condi- 

 tions for success are: 



1. The stock and cion must be perfectly healthy and free 

 from insects. If either of them are weak or sickly, unsatis- 

 factory results may be expected. To this end, everything neces- 

 sary shoud be done to keep off insects and disease. 



2. The buds should be well developed in the axils of the 



leaves on the 

 young shoots from 

 which the buds 

 are to be taken. 

 It seldom h a p- 

 pens that they 

 are in this condi- 

 tion until the bud 

 at the end is 

 formed, but some- 

 times the buds in 

 the center of the 

 twigs will be 

 large enough to 

 grow, while those 

 at the base and at 

 the extreme tip 

 are still quite 

 small. If the buds 

 are thought to be 

 too immature, they 

 may be readily 

 developed by 

 pinching off the 

 tips of the twigs. In ten or twelve days after such pinching, of 

 even a very soft shoot, its buds will be fit for working. 



Fig. 80. Showing method of cutting bud 

 when the wood is to be removed from it. 

 b. Plum bud in the spring of the year 

 before growth has commenced. c. A 

 shoot started from an inserted bud and 

 tied to the stub of a stock. The dotted 

 line b shows where the stock should be cut 

 off after the bud is well started. 



