114 AMERICAN POMOLOGY. 



wood. When working in this manner, the stick of buds 

 must not be allowed to dry, and the work must be done 

 at a time when the bark parts with the greatest ease. 

 Among the modifications of the process ofbudding, 

 that, called ring-budding, fig. 21, may- 

 be mentioned, rather as a curiosity how- 

 ever, though preferred by some, especi- 

 ally for the grape, which is said to be 

 very easily budded, though we seldom 

 see the operation practiced. 



Those who are anxious to commence 

 budding early in the season, prepare the 

 Fig. 21.— RING BUD- scions they expect to use, by pinching 

 DisG. tjjg ends and cutting off a portion of 



the leaves ; the effect of this check to the wood growth 

 is to hasten the ripening or development of the buds, 

 which rapidly swell, preparatory to breaking, in their at- 

 tempt to reproduce the foliage that had been removed. 



Tying should be done as soon as convenient after the 

 buds have been inserted ; though under very favorable 

 circumstances the bud may adhere and do well without 

 any bandaging, no one thinks of leaving the work Avith- 

 out carefully tying in the buds, and most budders lay a 

 great deal of stress upon the necessity for covering the 

 whole shield and cut with a continuous bandaging, that 

 shall exclude the light, and air, and moisture. The ma- 

 terial most used is bass matting, brought from Russia, as 

 a covering to the packages of sheet iron for which that 

 country is famous. This is the inner bark of the Tilia 

 Europea, but our own Bass-wood, T. Americana, furnishes 

 an excellent bass, and is procured by our nurserymen di- 



