BUD VARIATION IN THE MARSH GRAPEFRUIT. lll" 



the limbs in whicli they were inserted the Hmbs should be cut off 

 about 6 inches above the buds, and the cut surfaces should be coated 

 with grafting wax. The tree trunks and aU portions of the limbs 

 left after the tops have been removed should be coated heavily with 

 whitewash or other protective material, in order to prevent possible 

 injuries due to sunburn and exposure. 



From time to time all growth except that from the select buds 

 should be carefully removed; otherwise portions of the new tree 

 heads will be made up of sprouts from the old limbs. In some cases 

 the tender growth from the select buds may be attacked by insect 

 pests, in which event the insects must be promptly killed or removed. 

 It is a good plan to protect this growth during its first exposure to 

 winter weather by means of bundles of grass, cornstalks, or other 

 suitable material. 



After one season's growth of the select buds the stubs of the origi- 

 nal hmbs should be cut off just above the buds, making the cuts 

 obhque in order to facOitate their healing. The cut surface should 

 be covered with grafting wax or some other, protective material, in 

 order to prevent decay and promote the heahng of the wound. 



Careful attention should be given the rebudded trees for the first 

 two or three years, in order to protect the new growth from undesir- 

 able conditions. After that such trees will require no attention or care 

 other than that given the remainder of the trees in the orchard. 



THE SELECTION OF BUD WOOD. 



Bud wood for use in top-working trees of undesirable strains, or for 

 other propagation work, should be taken from the most productive, 

 regular-bearing trees of the Marsh strain. These trees should be 

 selected on the basis of their performance records and the character 

 and appearance of the individual trees. Fruit-bearing bud wood, 

 viz, that bearing typical fruits of the kind desired, an illustration of 

 which is shown in Plate XI, should be used exclusively for propaga- 

 tion purposes. 



The bud wood should be packed in moist moss or other suitable ma- 

 terial immediately after cutting, in order to preserve the buds in a 

 fresh, viable condition until they are used. If the bud wood is to 

 be kept for some time, it should be packed and held in a uniform, cool 

 temperature. 



Vigorous-growing, nonbearing bud wood, or that commonly known 

 as sucker wood, has been, until recently, highly prized and commonly 

 used for propagation purposes. Under that practice more bud wood 

 was, of course, cut from trees having the most suckers than from the 

 trees having the fewest suckers. It has been determined in these in- 

 vestigations that the trees producing the most sucker growth usually 



