234 



Principles of PLant Culture. 



With the spatula of the budding knife (397), the lips 

 of bark in the angles of the T-cut are loosened from the 

 wood, when the bit of bark bearing the bud is slipped 

 down behind them (Fig. 121), with the bud pointing 

 upward, until the top end of the bit of bark is just 

 below the horizontal cut of the T. Some budders do 

 not use the spatula, but raise the lips of bark with the 

 blade of the budding knife. The center of a strip of 

 moistened raffia is then applied to the stock just below 

 the inserted bud; the ends of the strip are crossed on 

 the opposite side of the stock, brought forward and 

 again crossed just above the bud, 

 thus covering the horizontal cut of 

 the T. The ends of the raffia are 

 then brought behind the stock, tied 



Fig. 125. Fin. IL'Ci. FiG. 124. 



Fig. 124. Man budding In nursery row. (After Bailey.) 



Fig. 125. Budding knife with Ivory spatula on the end opposite 



the blade. 



Fig. 126. Budding knife made from erasing knife bv rounding the 



edge at A. 



in a half knot, and drawn moderately tight (Fig. 122), 

 pressing the lips down snugly about the bud, which now 

 protrudes between the lips. 



If the bud "takes," it will unite with the stock in a 

 few days. The raffia should be taken off in about ten 



