THE MANGO 115 



The incision is made in the stock plant in the form of a T 

 or an inverted T, exactly as in budding avocados or citrus trees. 

 The bud should be rather large, preferably l inches in length. 

 After it is inserted it should be wrapped with waxed tape or 

 other suitable material. A formula for use in preparing waxed 

 tape will be found under the head of avocado budding. 



After three to four weeks the bud is examined, and if it 

 is green and seems to have formed a union, the top of the 

 stock plant is cut back several inches to force the bud into 

 growth. A few weeks later the top can be cut back still 

 farther, and eventually it may be trimmed off close above the 

 bud, this after the bud has made a growth of 8 or 10 inches. 



J. E. Higgins l describes a method of shield-budding which 

 has been successful in the Hawaiian Islands. So far as known, 

 it has not been used on the mainland of the United States. 

 Higgins says, "Budding by this method has been successfully 

 performed on stocks from an inch to three inches in diameter. 

 . . . Wood of this size, in seedling trees, may be from two to 

 five years old. It is essential that the stocks be in thrifty 

 condition, and still more essential that they should be in ' flush.' 

 If not in this condition, the bark will not readily separate 

 from the stock. It has been found that the best time is when 

 the terminal buds are just opening. . . . The budwood 

 which has been most successfully used is that which has lost 

 most of its leaves and is turning brown or gray in color. Such 

 wood is usually about an inch in diameter. It is not necessary 

 in this method of budding that the budwood shall be in a 

 flushing condition, although it may be of advantage to have it 

 so. ... The incision should be made in the stock about six 

 inches in length. . . . The bud shield should be three to three 

 and a half inches long, with the bud in the center." After- 

 treatment of the buds is the same as with the Florida method 

 which has been described ; in fact the Hawaiian method seems 

 1 Bull. 20, Hawaii Agr. Exp. Sta. 





