PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING 



227 



leaf stem to serve as a handle while inserting the buds. 

 The stocks, whether grown from seeds or from cuttings, 



Fro. 126. A lesson in budding. The left-hand student is cutting a 

 bud ; the central one is lifting the lips of the bark with the spatula of 

 his budding knife ; the right-hand student is tying the ,bud. 



are usually of one or two season's growth. The lower 

 branches of the stock are cut off up three inches or more 

 from the ground, and a smooth place is selected for the 

 bud, usually on the side 

 least exposed to the sun's 

 rays. With the bud- 

 ding knife, a T-shaped 

 cut is made on the stock 

 (393) about two inches 

 above the ground. A 

 bud is then cut from the 

 bud stick, by inserting 

 the blade of the budding 

 knife about a fourth of 

 an inch below the bud, at such an angle that the back of 

 the blade nearly touches the bark of the stick. The blade 

 is passed just behind the bud, touching the wood, but not 

 removing much of it, and then turned a little, running 



FIG. 



127. Man budding in nursery 

 row. 



