112 THE MANSE GARDEN. 



knob like the head of a pin, has remained with the 

 wood or come away with the bark. If it adhere to 

 the wood, the bud will be found hollow it has lost 

 its heart, and will not live. Make a few more trials, 

 and if the event be still untoward, the buds are not 

 sufficiently matured, and the operation must be de- 

 layed. This is a better rule to go by than the day 

 of the month ; but to avoid the trouble of too many 

 trials, let the first be for cherries, about the middle 

 of summer; for pears and plums, a fortnight later; 

 and as much later again for apples. When you 

 find that the bud peels right, choose a cloudy day, 

 or an early hour, and let the operation be so quick 

 as not to allow of a change in the colour of the sap 

 by the action of the air. Have the shoots at hand ; 

 and before separating the bud prepare the place for 

 its reception, by selecting a smooth part of the stem 

 or branch to be inoculated, and making, with a sharp 

 knife, a perpendicular incision two inches long and 

 quite through the bark ; near the head of this inci- 

 sion make a cross cut, so as to admit of freely raising 

 the bark. The flat ivory handle of a desk knife, or 

 a piece of polished wood so shaped, may be used for 

 disengaging the bark without disturbing the sap. 

 Into this aperture insert the bud, with its own bark 

 attached to it, and slide all down till the upper ex- 

 tremity fall in with the transverse incision, taking 

 care, at the same time, to have the eye of the bud 

 so placed as to look out in the middle between the 

 two sides of the overlapping bark. Then apply a 

 bandage of matting over all the incision, but not 

 over the projecting part of the bud, and with such 

 tightness as not to impede the circulation, but merely 



