164 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



July, 



Practical Hints on Budding. 



Budding Is one branch of the gardener's 

 and fruit grower's art which all who are 

 interested in these matters should become 

 familiar with. AVhether in changing the tops 

 of fruit trees or in propagating in nursery 

 rows, by converting wild or undesirable 

 stocks of fruit and ornamental trees into im- 

 proved sorts, budding has some advantage 

 over grafting. It is usually a simpler and 

 easier task, and one in every way as agreea- 

 ble to be performed by a lady amateur as by 

 the experienced nurseryman. 



The equipments for the work are suitable 



Fig. 1. The bud 

 stick. Cutting a 

 bud preparatory 

 to its insertion. 



stocks and buds; a sharp 

 thin-bladed knife, the form 

 of which is immaterial, 

 although the shape of blade 

 shown in figures 1 and 3 is 

 mostly in use; and tying 

 material for binding the 

 budded part until adhesion 

 between bud and stock has 

 been effected. 

 The stock, which usually 

 should be a young vigorous seedling or shoot 

 of tlie previous year's growth (Figures 3-G), 

 must at the time of the operation be growing 

 thriftily and be full of sap, so that the bark 

 will readily lift from the wood. Generally the 

 time when it is found in its best state for 

 successful work, is as the season's growth is 

 approaching termination. If tlie budding 

 be done too early there is danger, first, that 

 the stock may over-grow and smother the 

 bud; second, that the bud may push into 

 growth the same season without having the 

 time to properly ripen its wood before win- 

 ter. It is better that there be no growth 

 from the inserted bud the first year. By re- 

 moving the tie as soon as the bud is united 

 to the stock, usually in about two weeks, 

 there is less liability to this than otherwise. 

 The order of budding different kinds of 

 fruit trees in Western New York is about 

 as follows: Common Plums and Pears (on 



The buds used should if possible be so far 

 matured as to be quite hard and well devel- 

 oped. Sometimes, however, as in the ca.se of 

 Pears that are threatened with blight, it is 

 necessary to begin budding while the buds 

 are yet in a rather immature state, with us 

 about the middle of .July. 



The operation of ordinary budding is illus- 

 trated in figures 1 to G. Figure 1 represents 

 a section of the bud stick with several buds 

 and one leaf remaining, one bud removed 

 and one being cut. It should be said that 

 as soon as a stick of buds is taken from the 

 tree all leaves should be trimmed off. These 

 sticks may be kept for some time by wrap- 

 ping them in a dampened cloth. After a 

 bud is cut and before inserting it into the 

 stock, many favor removing the bit of ad- 

 hering wood, as in figure 3. This secures 

 not only a neater fit of the bud, but the ad- 

 hesion, as claimed by some, is more perfect. 

 Still perhaps a majority of Americans never 

 remove the wood. 



Figure 3 shows the stock with the neces- 

 sary T shaped cut made preparatory to its 

 receiving the bud. In making this cut let 

 the knife just pass through the bark to the 

 wood. Then the corners of the bark should 

 be slightly raised with the knife to admit of 

 the bud's insertion underneath. Figure 4 

 shows the bud nearly slipped into place, and 

 figure 5 the same fully so and ready for ty- 

 ing. The tying is illustrated as completed in 

 figure 6, it being performed by starting a 

 little below the cut and working upwards, 

 ending by a slip loop at the top. 



What is called annular or ring budding 

 (or it might be termed grafting), is shown by 

 figure 7. This is usually employed in the 

 case of trees and shrubs having compara- 

 tively thick bark, such as the Magnolia, 

 Hickory, Chestnut, etc., and is generally 

 done in the spring just after growth has 

 commenced. The essential points in this 

 method are the removing of a ring of bark, 

 passing nearly or quite around the stock as 

 at A, and replacing it by a similar ring from 

 the cion and containing a bud (B, 0). The 

 operation is completed by carefully winding 

 the parts somewhat as in ordinary budding, 

 the ligature to remain until a union is effected. 



Fig. 3. T/te T ^iu *■ ^'"^ '""' ^'^^ 6- r'"" '""' ^'0- " 

 Bliapedcui. rntcre'h injAare. 



INSERTING AND TYING THE BUD. 



Pear stocks), in .July to beginning of Aug- 

 ust; Ciierries or Mazzard stocks and Apples 

 from the first to the middle of August; 

 Pears on (Juince, Cherries on Mahaleb, and 

 Peaches about the first to middle of Septem- 

 ber. Peaches are budded the same season that 

 the seeds are planted. Where Apple grafts 

 have missed it is usual to make amends by 

 inserting buds on the leading shoot of each 

 stock at the proper time the next summer. 



About Evaporating Fruits. 



S. B. MANN, LKNAWEE .JU.NCTION, MICH. 



The evaporation of fruits and vegetables for 

 the double purpose of preservation and cheap 

 transportation became years ago a 

 subject of great importance to the 

 fruit growing States of Michigan and 

 New York. The inventive skill of 

 Mr. Alden of the latter State was 

 among the first to successfully accom- 

 plish the end sought. His method, 

 while successful as to principles, was 

 attended with too much expense for 

 practical purposes. To Mr. Alden 

 the public owes the discovery of the 

 possibility that water can be extracted 

 by the proper application of heat in a 

 The bud way to retain all the other natural 

 "''■ elements, and that by restoring the 



water at any time thereafter restore 

 the fruit again to its normal condition. 



Many thousands of dollars were spent in 

 erecting expensive factories with large capac- 

 ity. The product was really marvelous, and 

 for a time brought a high price on the markets. 

 But for a long time the demand for such goods 

 was not sufficient to make it a paying business. 

 Like with all other important inventions when 

 the want has been established and the object to 

 be attained made possible, the simplifying of 

 machinery has quickly followed and the conse- 



fe 



quent cheapening of the product. There are 

 many inventions to-day, or rather improve- 

 ments upon the theory of Mr. Alden, that make 

 it possible to now preserve the surplus fruits of 

 the fruit-growing States so cheaply as to bring 

 them within the reach of the masses. The 

 successful methods,however,must embrace that 

 one essential so important in Mr. Alden's in- 

 vention, viz. , the 

 extracting of 

 the pure water 

 only and at the 

 same time pie- 

 serve the little 

 fruit cells per- 

 fectly, so that 

 when water is 

 again applied 

 the fruit will 

 readily take it 

 up like a sponge. 

 If it is allowed 

 to ferment or is 

 over heated it 



Fig. 7. Annular or Eing Bud- '"^^ *« f^e same 



ding. A stock readi/ to re- extent be in- 



ceive the bud ring B C Bud ^..^pA Hmino 



ring, front and back views. jurea. iience 



the importance 



of careful handling and no delay after the 



fruit has been cut. 



The bleaching process so generally adopted 

 of late has prevented coloring, or rather had 

 the effect of whitening all specimens, making 

 the fruit fine to look at. But the excessive use 

 of brimstone for that purpose has beyond a 

 doubt injured the quality of it. Although 

 chemists have been plenty who for pay were 

 ready to certify that the effect of the fumes of 

 brimstone are hai"mless when used as food, I 

 am firm in my convictions that it does no 

 good, and for my use rather have the pure 

 fruit though it may be a little darker colored. 

 My advice to all who are interesting them- 

 selves in this business is to go carefully at it. 

 If good ripe fruit is properly handled, carefully 

 put U]) and kept in clean storage it must be 

 wholesome. It can be cheaply transported, 

 and will in all time be a profitable article to 

 put on the market. 



Too much cannot be said in behalf of the en- 

 terprise, and it should receive the encourage- 

 ment of all who have the welfare of humanity 

 at heart. I have no pet method to lecommend 

 and cannot 

 give any 

 vice as 

 whose 

 ator 

 best, 

 point 

 sought 



dry the fruit in 

 a moist atmos- 

 phere; the Fig. '2. Eemoving the thin slice 

 dryer the fruit "^ wood that was taken with 



. ., ,. ., the bud. 



gets the farther 



it should be removed from the heat. Any 

 process that will do the work rapidly and 

 cheaply is a good one. 



Florists' Conventions. 



L. B. PIERCE, SUMMIT CO., OHIO. 



Some strictures have been offered in reference 

 to so much play aud so little work done, and 

 that hurriedly, at the Thiladelphia meeting last 

 year. I was present at that meeting, and also 

 at the Cincinnati one the year before, aud have 

 some observations to present. 



At Cincinnati I noticed that there was a 

 large proportion of young florists, and the work 

 of running the convention devolved almost 

 entirely upon the orticers. A good many who 

 were present seemed to be there with the idea 

 that by hail insurance or otherwise the Society 

 of American Florists was going to boom busi- 

 ness in a way to put money in their pockets. 

 Such were disappointed and failed to give that 

 careful attention to the proceedings that was 

 to have been expected. 



