Gardening for Amateurs 



317 



off easily. The pressure should be applied 

 to the thorns from the side, of course, in 

 which way they are easily removed without 

 risk of hurt to the operator. The buds 

 nearest the tips of the shoots should not be 

 used as a rule, but nice, plump, healthy- 

 looking buds from lower down, though these 

 Jiust not have " started " they must be 

 "dormant." The lower part of the leaf- 

 stalks must be left on to provide a means 

 of holding the buds. The shoots can then 

 be placed in water until wanted, though it 

 is better not to leave them there more than 

 an hour or so. 



To transfer the buds to the stock or 

 foster-parent, first an incision little more 

 than an inch long is made lengthwise in the 

 bark of the stock, then a cross-cut is made 

 at the top of this lengthwise cut forming a 

 figure like the letter T. Be careful only to 

 cut through the bark And not into the 

 " wood " of the plant. At this point a bud 

 is removed from one of the stalks by cutting 

 from a point 4 inch to 1 inch above the bud 

 to a point from J inch to inch below it. 

 It is better to remove the thin piece of wood 

 adhering to the inside of the piece of bark, 

 but this is not absolutely necessary. If 

 the " wood " be taken out, be extremely 

 carefcil not to pull out with it the little 

 green germ about the size of a pin-head 

 which lies in the bud of which it forms the 

 vital part. If when the " wood " has been 

 removed there is a hole or hollow beneath 

 the eye or bud on the inside of the bark, 

 there is no chance of the bud growing ; it 

 should be thrown away and another trial 

 should be made. Presuming the " wood " 

 to have been successfully removed without 

 damaging the bud, the thin shield of bark 

 containing the bud is held by the stump of 

 leaf-stalk, and the bark of the stock at the 

 incision is raised by working the thin ivory 

 end of the budding knife under it, and thus 

 lifting it up. If the sap is rising freely, tin- 

 bark will lift easily (if not, it is no use going 

 on with the business) ; the lower end of the 

 shield of bark containing the bud is inserted 

 at the cross-cut, and then slipped down 

 into position. When it is properly seated, 

 any bark protruding from the cross-cut at 

 the top is cut off cleanly, after which the 

 bud is tied into position with raffia, bass, 



worsted, or soft cotton such as is used for 

 tallow candle-wicks. The late Rev. H. 

 Honywood d'Ombrain held very strongly 

 that this last-named material was far and 

 away the best for this purpose. 



When tying be careful not to cover the 

 bud itself. In about a month the ties may 

 be removed, and if the bud then looks plump 

 and rather red it has " taken," and the tying 

 process must be repeated, but the ties should 



W0AAP \ % 



How Roses are budded. 



be left slacker than before. Should the bud 

 be dead when examined, another can be in- 

 serted at once if the season be not too far 

 advanced. 



In February the shoots or branches of the 

 standards which were budded should l>e 

 cut back, leaving at least one eye (to leave 

 two is better) beyond the " bud." This eye 

 is left to keep the sap flowing, so that the 

 bud may l>e properly fed, but in May the 

 branch should l>e cut back to the bud. 



Dwarf stocks should be cut back to the 

 bud in February or early March. Be careful 

 to do this with a sharp knife or with clean- 

 cutting secateurs, as if the wood close to 



