128 THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



The illustration, Fig. 139, shows some of the details of shield- 

 budding (on a small scale) as described by Peck in a Cornell 

 Reading-Course Lesson : 1, bud-sticks ; 2, cutting the bud ; 3, the 

 buds ready for setting; 4, the stock made ready; 5, the bud 

 inserted. 



The bud must now be tied. The whole matrix should be 

 closed and bound securely, as represented in Figs. 140, 143. 

 The string is usually started below the bud, being 

 wrapped twice below and about thrice above it, in 

 fruit-trees, the lower end being held by lapping the 

 second course over it, and the upper end being se- 

 cured by drawing a bow through under the upper 

 course or sometimes by tying an ordinary hard knot. 

 Waxed string or bandage is sometimes used, as in 

 Fig. 131. Care should be taken not to bind the 

 string directly over the bud itself. 



The strings are previously cut the required length 

 about one foot and the tying is performed very 

 quickly. Any soft cord may be employed. Yarn 

 and carpet warp are sometimes used. Formerly the 

 FIG 140 mos ^ common material was bass-bark. This is the 

 The bud inner bark of the basswood or linden. The bark 

 tied (x |). j g gripped in early summer, and the inner portion is 

 macerated or "rotted" in water for four or five weeks. It is 

 then removed, cut into the desired lengths, and stripped into 

 narrow bands one-fourth to one-half inch wide when it may 

 be sorted and stored away for future use. If it is stiff and harsh 

 when it comes from the maceration, it should be pounded lightly 

 or rubbed through the hands until it becomes soft and pliable. 

 The best tying material we now have is undoubtedly raffia. 

 It is an imported article, coming from the eastern tropics (the 

 product of the palm Raphia Ruffia), and it is so cheap that it is 

 superseding even bass-bark. It is strong and pliable, and is 

 an excellent material for tying plants in the greenhouse or 



