VI. PLANTING- 



With your finger and thumb, "bring the two sides of the 

 longitudinal bar over the bark of the bud, or, rather, the 

 shield, and, with a piece of well-soaked matting, begin 

 an inch below this bar and bind firmly all the way up to 

 an inch above the horizontal bar, taking good care to 

 leave the bud peeping out. Bind in such a way as to 

 exclude the air, for that is the intent of binding in this 

 case. Tie your piece of matting on first, and then wind 

 it round and round the stock as you would a ribbon, 

 taking care not to twist the matting. Wind it slowly; 

 and every time you have gone completely round, give a 

 gentle pull to make it firm. 



217. Future treatment. In a fortnight's time from the 

 operation, you will discover whether the bud have 

 taken, by its roundness and healthy look ; and, in a fort- 

 night after that, loosen the bandage to allow the whole 

 plant to swell j and, in about five weeks from the time 

 of budding, take away the bandage altogether. In this 

 state the plant passes the winter, and, just as the sap 

 begins to be in motion, in the following spring, you head 

 down the stock at about half an inch above the bud, 

 beginning behind it, and making a sloping cut upward to 

 end above its point. Some gardeners leave a piece of 

 the stock about six inches long for the first year, in order 

 to tie the first summer's shoot to it, to prevent its being 

 broken off by the wind. This may be well, when the 

 plant is exposed to high winds, but, even then, if you 

 see danger, you may tie a short stick on to the top part 

 of the stock and to this tie the young shoot, and then 

 the sap all goes into the shoot from the bud, instead of 



