BUDDING WITH OB WITHOUT SAP-WOOD. 



65 



Method, of Excising the Bud. 



When the scion-bearing shoot has all its wounds com- 

 pletely cicatrized, it is cut from the mother plant and the 

 herbaceous extremity removed. 



The cane is then seized with the left hand, its extremity 

 pointing towards the body of the grafter. The buds at the 

 base are excised first. The length of the shield must be from 

 1 to 1 inches. The section is started with 

 the base of the grafting knife, allowing it to 

 gradually slide, until it reaches the other ex- 

 tremity of the section. When the blade reaches 

 the level of the cicatrice it should be lifted a 

 little, so as to continue the section parallel to 

 the axis of the cane and of ^5 to -fa in. The 

 transversal section ab (Fig. 76) is made, 

 cutting through the bark only. The bud is 

 seized between the thumb and tte first finger, 

 level with the section ab, and slightly pulled 

 away from the alburnum. The scion is then 

 seized with the thumb resting on the section 

 of the petiole, and the first finger on the bud, 

 and to avoid it becoming completely hollowed 

 a kind of rocking motion is given, gradually 

 drawing the thumb back as the alburnum 

 gets detached. By doing so, a part of the 

 alburnum is left adherent to the stock in the 

 shape of a fork (Fig. 77), and the scion thus 

 obtained is a half-alburnum bud. If, in this 

 operation, the alburnum breaks without form- 

 ing the fork, the bud should be rejected, as 

 it means that it is not ripe enough. 



The delicate part of the operation consists now in removing 

 the rest of the alburnum without hollowing the eye. We 



can only attain this 

 result by operating 

 in the following 

 manner : 

 A small triangle of 



Fig. 77. Alburnum left adherent to the Stock. alburnum obc (Fig. 



80) is removed, using 

 the point of the grafting knife as indicated by Fig. 78. 



8168. 



Fig. 76.-Method 

 of excising the 

 Bud. 



