NUT CULTURE BUDDING AND GRAFTING. 13 



SHIELD BUDDING. 



This is the simplest and easiest method of bud propagation. It has been widely 

 tested in the propagation of nut trees, but has failed except in the case of a few species, 

 such as the almond, Persian walnut, black walnut, pecan, and chestnut. Of these the 

 almond is the only one in which it is uniformly successful under ordinary conditions. 

 In California the Persian walnut is sometimes successfully worked in this manner; 

 in Florida the pecan, both on its own roots and on other species of hickory. In Ohio 

 the black walnut has been successfully budded by using buds of the previous year on 

 trees just starting into growth in spring. The buds in this case were retarded by 

 being kept at a low temperature in an ice house until the stocks were in condition to 

 bud. 1 The last-named modification of this method is worthy of further trial on other 

 species. 



Thomas Andrew Knight records 2 success in budding the Persian walnut by using 

 the minute buds found at the base of the new growth. These buds were inserted in 

 stocks grown in pots and held as nearly dormant -as possible by being kept in "a 

 shady situation under a north wall," until the buds on bearing trees were in condition 

 to cut, iu July. The stocks were then removed to a forcing house aud immediately 

 budded. He states that the ordinary large buds of the walnut thus inserted inva- 

 riably failed, though inserted in the same stocks with the smaller ones. 



FLUTE BUDDING. 



It may be asserted, on the authority of leading horticulturists, that this method is 

 often successful in the top- working of trees of considerable size when done by a careful 

 operator, where the ordinary methods of budding and grafting have failed. The 

 method is by no means new, and will be found illustrated in most of the popular works 

 on tree propagation. It is thus described by J. L. Budd, of the Iowa Experiment 

 Station, who recommends it: "Top-working the hickory or walnut or any common tree 

 or shrub can be done by annular [flute] budding. June, when the bark slips easily, 

 is the time. Take scions one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch in diameter ; remove a 

 ring of bark 1A inches to 2 inches long, bearing a good, strong bud; cut off a limb of 

 the stock, leaving a stub, from which another similar ring of bark is removed. The 

 ring from the scion is carefully split if necessary aud substituted, taking care that it 

 neatly fits the remaining bark of the stub, and that its edges when split are close 

 enough to unite. Cover the whole with a paper sack tied below the wound and suc- 

 cess is sure. Care is necessary that the parts to be united fit aud are not bruised." 

 This method is better adapted to the top-working of large trees than to the low bud- 

 ding of small seedlings in the nursery. 



Annular budding. For use on small trees in nursery (and it is applicable also to 

 the working of small branches in the tops of large trees), a modification of flute budding 

 is practiced. It is commonly called " ring" budding or " annular " budding. It differs 

 from the former method only in the preparation of the stock for the reception of the 

 bud. In ring, or annular, budding the top of the stock is not removed until after the 

 bud has grown fast. The ring of bark is removed very carefully to avoid bruising 

 the cambium layer, and a close fit is essential to success. 



Both of these methods require careful wrapping of the ring of bark with soft 

 yarn, raffia, or other flexible tying material to hold in place. In both methods it is 

 important that a smooth round portion of the stock be selected for the operation. 

 This is usually found near the base of the shoot. In top budding large trees it is 

 often found necessary to prepare them for budding by cutting back during the pre- 

 vious season the branches to be budded. This causes them to throw out vigorous 



1 Report of Pomologist in Report of Secretary of Agriculture, 1890, page 417. 



2 Transactions Horticultural Society, III, page 133. 



