vni PROPAGATION 143 



soon -wither if they are left on. A quantity of buds 

 may be carried about for some time without taking 

 any harm if the leaves are thus removed at once : 

 but if a great quantity is taken at a time, or the 

 buds have been received by post, it is better to carry 

 them about in water. 



Standard stocks are budded upon the laterals, the 

 growth of the year, as close to the upright stem as 

 possible. The general practice is to bud two 

 branches, for the insect pests which attack the 

 growing bud in the spring will be found to be 

 far more prevalent on standards than on dwarfs. 

 Should both of these fail, a use will be found for 

 the other laterals, which have not been removed for 

 the reasons given above, for it will be better to bud 

 on these fresh shoots as the reserved ground than 

 on one where a bud has already failed. 



Like the buds, the branches of the stock should 

 be " half-ripe." If worked on too soon, while still 

 soft, or when the wood appears green instead of 

 white when the bark is turned back, the chances of 

 success are much diminished, and the shoot is very 

 likely to break off at the cross cut. If attempted 

 too late, a stock which has not got a strong root- 

 hold often ceases to grow for a while in a dry 

 August, and the flow of sap being lessened, the bark 

 does not rise freely and readily. It is absolutely 

 useless to attempt budding in such a case, where 

 there is any difficulty in raising the bark. An 

 experienced eye can generally tell by the appearance 

 of growth or the want of it in the tips of the shoots, 

 whether the bark will rise and budding may be done. 



Do not necessarily choose the strongest laterals, 

 but medium-sized shoots half-ripe but growing 



