44 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



failures are numerous. It must be stated unreservedly that 

 shield-budding of the avocado, to be successful, must be made 

 the subject of careful and intelligent study on the part of the 

 nurseryman, who must exercise constant vigilance to keep the 



stock plants in perfect condi- 

 tion. If this is done, and bud- 

 wood is intelligently selected, 

 success is within reach, but the 

 number of failures from neglect 

 or ignorance of these two points 

 might well be enough to dis- 

 courage the beginner from at- 

 tempting to bud the avocado. 

 It is only through the closest 

 application to minute details 

 that real success in budding 

 avocados can be achieved, and 

 it may truthfully be said that 

 those who have produced 

 budded trees in quantity have 

 invariably been men who have 

 devoted their best efforts to 

 the work and made it a pains- 

 taking study. 



FIG. 3. Shield-budding the avo- 

 cado. On the left, a bud properly in- 

 serted ; above the knife blade, two 

 buds of proper size and shape ; and on 

 the right, bud wood with good " eyes." 

 The method of wrapping the inserted 

 bud is shown in Fig. 11. 



Budding (Fig. 3). 



As soon as the stock plants 

 are large enough to receive the 

 bud conveniently they should 

 be budded, provided the season 

 is favorable. In southern Florida the best months for budding 

 the West Indian race are November, December, January, and 

 February. Budding can be continued into March with success, 

 but after warm weather commences the percentage of failures 



