60 THE DIFFERENT BUDDING OPERATIONS 



the seedling reaches the height of eight or ten inches. The 

 object of this is to have a clear, smooth place for the budder 

 to work. If the bottom leaves are not removed they soon 

 develop into small branches which by fall, often seriously 

 interfere with the budding process. The stripping is accom- 

 plished in the manner illustrated in the accompanying 

 picture, Fig. 26. The tree is held by the left hand while the 



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WMSi^-^^^^^gl:^ 



FIG. 26. Stripping the Young Seedlings. 



thumb and two first fingers arc slid down to the bottom, 

 removing the lower leaves at one stroke. The scars left by 

 the leaves heal over in a few weeks and by the time the 

 young trees have attained a diameter of one-quarter inch 

 they are ready for the budder. 



Kinds of Budding. There are many different names 

 applied to the various budding operations, but four have 

 become more or less general and arc here accepted as the 



