GRAFTING FRUIT TREES 



83 



In nursery practice the budder does not stop to tie his buds 2 

 but is followed in the row by another man, who carries the tying 

 material, and does this part of the work. 



The common method of budding thus described is used on all 

 common orchard fruits. Special styles of budding for special fruits 

 will be described in the chapters treating of those fruits. 



Usually the budded trees are allowed to stand in the nursery 

 row with no other treatment that year than the insertion and care 

 of the bud, the latter remaining dormant until the next spring. 

 Then, as soon as the sap begins to swell the buds on the stock, the 

 top is cut off down to about two inches above the bud, and all 

 growth is kept off except that of the inserted bud. When that has 

 grown out about twelve inches, the stub is cut off to about three- 

 quarters of an inch or less from the bud, and the wood is quickly 

 grown over by the bark. As there are apt t<p be dormant buds on 

 the stock below the inserted bud, the trees have to be examined 

 from time to time, and all such suckers removed. This is the com- 

 mon practice with budded trees. Exceptions will be noticed pres- 

 ently in connection with definitions of different kinds of trees 

 known to the trade. 



Spring Budding. What has been said in reference to budding 

 applies to the use of dormant buds. It is also possible to work 

 with what is called a "pushing bud." This process, as described by 

 a distinguished French authority, consists of retarding the growth 

 of the buds on the scions by burying them in the ground until the 

 sap it starting well in the stock in the spring, and then putting 

 them in, trimming off the top of the stock so as to force the bud 

 into growth. In this way the grower of a rare variety may secure 

 trees for planting out the following winter, or he may secure a 

 stock of buds for fall budding, and thus multiply his stock of a 

 desirable variety very rapidly. A modification of this method con- 

 sists in taking buds in the spring when they have grown out even 

 half an inch, and inserting them by the usual method of lifting the 

 bark, when the sap is flowing well in the stock. Then cut off 

 about half the stock, so as not to give the bud too much sap at 

 first, and afterward, when it is seen to have taken well, the balance 

 of the stock is cut off near the bud. This method gives a tree 

 the first season and saves a year over dormant budding. Shade 

 and protection from dry wind are desirable. 



GRAFTING 



The next process of propagation to be considered is that by 

 grafting. Its success as with budding, consists in bringing the 

 growing wood (inner bark or alburnum) of the scion into contact 



