FRUITS. CHAP. 



of wood on which the bark is, and which has served you 

 up to this time, to preserve the bark and bud from dry- 

 ing and shrinking. But this is a nice matter. In doing 

 it, you must be careful not to endanger the root, as it is 

 called, of the bud, because in that is its existence. The 

 bark (if the season be proper for budding) will easily 

 detach itself from this piece of wood, but still it requires 

 very careful handling to get it out without endangering 

 the root of the bud. Hold the bud upon your fore-finger 

 and keep your thumb on the wood opposite j then, with 

 the fore-finger and thumb of the other hand, bend back- 

 ward and forward the lower end of the shield, and thus 

 coax the wood to disengage itself from the bark j and 

 when you find it decidedly doing so, remove your thumb 

 from it and the whole piece of wood will come out, 

 leaving you nothing but a piece of bark of about two and 

 a half inches long, with a bud and foot-stalk of a leaf on 

 it. If the root of the bud be carried away with the piece 

 of wood, you will perceive a small cavity where it ought 

 to be. In this case, throw away the bud and try another. 



216. Having succeeded in a second attempt, now open 

 the two sides of the longitudinal bar of the T, with the 

 ivory haft of your budding-knife (pi. 5. Jig. J. 6.) -, but, in 

 doing this, raise the bark clearly down to the wood, for 

 the inside of the piece of bark belonging to the bud 

 must be placed directly against this. Having opened 

 these sides wide enough to receive the longest end of 

 bark, insert it nicely : taking especial care that its inner 

 side lie flatly against the wood of the stock. Then cut the 

 upper end of the bark off so that its edge shall meet pre- 

 cisely the edge of the horizontal bar of the T (pi. 5. /g. 1.0.). 



