ON THE PROPAGATION OF PLANTS. 



39 



the operation by collecting healthy shoots of 

 the summer's growth, of such kinds as are in- 

 tended to be increased ; when the shoots are 

 taken from the trees, they are to be divested 

 of their leaves, leaving a part of the footstalk to 

 the length of half an inch ; they are then to be 

 kept damp until they are inserted, which should 

 be as soon as possible after being separated from 

 the trees. (See Fig. 2.) 



There are many ways of inserting buds ; but 

 I shall confine myself to the most general, and, 

 I believe, most successful method, which is per- 

 formed by making an incision in the tree in- 

 tended to be inoculated, in the form of a T, (Fig. 

 3.) by first cutting through the rind, on the top, 

 in a transverse manner, holding the knife be- 

 tween the fore finger and thumb : the bottom in- 

 cision is made by drawing the point of the knife 

 downward an inch ; the thin end of the haft is 

 then to be applied to the top of the incision, in 

 order to part the rind from the wood, which is 

 done by gently lifting the top and running the 

 end of the haft downward to the end of the inci- 

 sion. The incision being made for the reception 

 of the bud, the next thing to be done is to pre- 

 pare the bud, by placing the scion in the left 

 hand, between the fore finger and thumb, with 

 the top end next to the thumb. The knife must 

 then be taken in the right hand, and its heel 

 placed half an inch below the bud intended to be 

 taken off; it is then to be carefully drawn up- 

 wards half an inch above the bud, cutting it out, 

 with about half the wood and bark thus : (Fig. 

 4.) This being done, the part is to be placed 

 between the thumb and fore finger of the left 

 hand, and the rind gently pressed back with the 



Fig. 2. 



Fig. 3. 



