20 



MARKET NURSERY WORK 



large nurseries cut and trim his own buds, the former being dele- 

 gated to a competent assistant and the latter to a boy. This division 

 of labour is in every way commendable, for a good budder when he 

 gets set does not like to be suddenly brought up to go seeking 

 for buds. 



THE ACTUAL -OPERATION 



Now as to the actual operation, which is much easier to do than 

 to describe. First, a boy goes in front of the budder to clear and 

 wipe the stock clean, for budding, like the 

 surgical operation it is, must be scrupu- 

 lously clean. If it happens to be a stan- 

 dard, the wiping is not needed (see Fig. 7 A), 

 but the rubbing off of thorns for a space 

 of 2 inches is (see Fig. 7 B). Close behind 

 him follows the budder, who first cuts his 

 bud, shield form, about an inch in length, 

 barely penetrating at its deepest to the 

 heart of the wood from which he cuts it. 

 With a flick of his thumb he removes the 

 wood from the bark, though sometimes it 

 does not separate so easily, in which case 

 he has to dig it out with his knife ; the 

 bark remains intact and unbruised. If he 

 is quite satisfied with the state of the bud 

 as inspected from the inside, and which 

 we have shown in Fig. 8, he proceeds to 

 insert it into the stock. 



Ninety-nine out of every hundred bud- 

 ders adopt the T-cut, and we think this is 

 the quickest and most practicable method. 

 The top cross-cut is made first (see Figs. 9 A and 9 B), then the 

 vertical cut, starting from the bottom, using a sharp knife, which 

 must be so skilfully manipulated as to make no abrasion on the 

 stock beneath the bark. As the two cuts meet (see Figs. 7 c, 7 D, 

 and 7 E), a slight side snick with the knife is given, which partly 

 opens the way for the insertion, without force, of the sharpened 

 end of the handle with which the bark is raised and held open for 



FIG. 8. -The Bud 



A. Outside. B. Inside 

 C. Removing the Wood 



