THE ORANGE IN CALIFORNIA — BUDDING. 91 



BUDDING. 



There are various systems of budding citrus trees. In 

 Florida and Louisiana the most popular method is the reverse 

 from the one universally practiced in this State. 



Time to Bud. — The best time to bud citrus trees is in March 

 and April, as soon as the trees begin to put forth and the sap 

 flows freely. Everything should be prepared; no time should 

 be lost, as buds inserted early in the season start with vigor, 

 and by fall have a large and thrifty top. The buds should be 

 looked over at least ten days after they are inserted, and all 

 those which show signs of not having ''taken" should be re- 

 budded in order to give them an early start, and that they may 

 grow more evenly with those first budded. 



Budding done in June and July is styled "summer budding." 

 It is not considered as good as early spring budding, because 

 the buds do not start even; and as the greater portion of them 

 start late their growth is so tender b}' the time winter sets in 

 that, if they pass through it, they become prematurely hardened 

 by the cold weather, which sometimes causes the trees to become 

 stunted. 



Fall budding is generally performed during September and 

 October, and sometimes in favored localities as late as 

 November. After the strings have been removed they are left 

 to pass the winter in dormant bud, to be started in the spring. 



Methods Illustrated. — The selection of cions is very impor- 

 tant. Only plump and healthy buds should be chosen; dor- 



Fig. 1— Thornless orange buds. 



mant or bliiid and immature buds should be avoided. Fig. 1 

 shows an orange stick prepared for budding. In this the leaves 

 have been cut off the leaf stem at the proper distance from the 



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Fig. 2— Thorny lemon buds. 



bud. Fig. 2 shows a thorny lemon bud, also with the leaves 

 removed, and ready for use. The stocks are previously pre- 



