128 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



er, and is speedily scorched by the sun, and the 

 .ives decay and wither. When this occurs dur- 

 ! ig the ripening of the crop, the sudden loss of 

 4iage prevents it from maturing, and hence 

 lany bunches will show one-half the fruit black 

 ..iid the other green. This apparent scorching is 

 most noticeable during the months of August 

 and September, when heavy night dews are suc- 

 ceeded by hot sun, or after a few dull or rainy 

 days. — Prairie Farmer. 



BUDDING. 



Budding, or inoculation, is the same as graft- 

 ing in its effects, as in both cases the young shoot 

 •starts from a bud. It is performed at a differ- 

 ent season, and usually on small stocks. It has 

 the advantage of grafting in the more rapid mul- 

 tiplication of a variety, in being more expedi- 

 tious, in allowing, frequently, of a repetition the 

 same season, in case of failure, and of the opera- 

 tion without injury to the stock, and it is surer 

 than grafting on stone fruit. It is the most com- 

 mon mode of propagation in nurseries, but it is 

 not much practised on large trees, nor even on 

 small standards, (excepting stone fruit, peaches 

 in particular,) as grafting is preferable. 



Subjects for BuDDiNti. — Stocks or limbs 

 from \, 'i or § of an inch in diameter are suitable 

 for budding, and even those of an inch will an- 

 swer, but they are more pro])er for grafting. It 

 is of great ioiportance that the stock be well es- 

 tablished and in vigorous condition, that it may 

 send up a strong, straight shoot, forming a good 

 trunk for a standard, else it will be stinted and 

 scraggy, and difficult to form into a good tree. 



Time for Budding. — Much de- 

 pends on various circumstances, such 

 as age and thrift of the stock, the 

 weather, the season, &c. Judgment 

 must be constantly exercised, (and 

 then we may fail,) for we can no 

 bettor set an exact time for budding 

 than for cutting grain in future years. 

 In this climate, if the stocks are 

 young and of common vigor, and 

 the season and the weatlier as to 

 moisture about as usual, the time for 

 budding is generally from the 1st to 

 the 25th of August. 



Preparation of Scions. — As 

 soon as the scion is cut, trim off the 

 leaves, leaving about one-third of an 

 inch of the foot-stalks, else the 

 leaves, which transpire moisture ra- 

 pidly, will absorb it from the buds, 

 and quickly spoil them. In hot, dry 

 weather, they may be spoiled in this 

 way in two hours. 



If the scions are to be used soon, 

 wrap them in a damp mat or cloth, 

 or, for convenience, put them in fine 

 grass or leaves, and wrap in paper, stick of Buds. 

 To send a distance, pack in damp 

 moss, or in damp sawdust, in a box. To keep 

 awhile, wrap up or pack as above, and lay in a 

 cool place, in tne cellar, or bury a foot deep in 

 the ground, in a cool, shady place. They will 

 «eep longest in the moss or sawdust. They ma) 



be kept several days in grass or leaves, and a 

 week or more in moss or sawdust. 



1. The stock prepared for the bud. 



2. Ttif bud with the wood taken out. 



3. The stock with the bud inserted. 



4. Tr.e bud with the wood in. 



Mode of Budding. — The most common and 

 the best is T budding With a sharp budding 

 knife, make a perpendicular slit, just through 

 the bark, aV)out an inch long, then a cross-cut, 

 in the form of a letter T. It is well to make the 

 cross-cut in a circular form, that the band may 

 cross the cut. With the ivory at the end of the 

 handle-knife, raise the bark a little at each cor- 

 ner, below the cross-cut. If one has not a bud- 

 ding-knife, this may be done with a piece of 

 sharpened hard wood or with the knife-blade. 

 Litt up the bark, not force the instrument be- 

 tween the bark and wood, and disturb the cam- 

 brium or new layer of soft matter. 



Hold the but of the scion from you, and in- 

 sert the knife about one-half an inch below the 

 bud that is next the but-end, and with a gen- 

 tle curve cut about to the depth of one-fourth 

 the diameter of the scion — more in small, soft 

 or rather green scions, and less in large scions 

 of firm and ripened wood — and bring out the 

 knife about half an inch above the bud. Then 

 put the bud under the bark, and slide it down the 

 vertical slit till the bud is a little below the cross- 

 cut; then, if any of the bark re- 

 main above the cross-cut, cut it off 

 there, making a neat fit. Some 

 make the cross-cut below the per- 

 pendicular slit, and run the bud 

 upward, but this is less convenient, 

 and no better. 



Wind the matting closely around 

 the stock, so as to cover all the 

 vertical and transverse cut, barely 

 leaving the bud uncovered ; tie 

 with one bow-knot on the same 

 side as the bud. Bud on any side 

 excepting the south, where the 

 sun may injure the bud in warm The bud tied m. 

 days in winter. 



Bands. — Mats such as are used around furni- 

 ture, new and strong, are cut into suitable lengths 

 and used for bands. The soft, pliable, inner barK 



