PROPAGATING FRUIT TREES. 207 



opposite side of the stock from the bud, will give 

 permanent relief. In the early spring the stock 

 is cut away a few inches above the bud, and this 

 projecting stem may serve as a support to which 

 the young shoot may be tied, if necessary. In 

 July the shoot wiU be strong enough for self- 

 support, and the stub should be cut away close 

 down to the bud, so that the wound may close 

 over. Budding is the method by which the 

 great majority of fruit trees are propagated in 

 the nurseries. The union of the bud with the 

 young stock is smooth ; the work is done at a 

 season of the year when work is not pressing ; 

 and the labor involved is less than that of graft- 

 ing. More careful after watching is necessary, 

 in relieving the ties and in training the buds, 

 and cutting away the stubs. The work is rapidly 

 performed, from five hundred to one thousand 

 buds being an easy day's work for a man and a 

 boy. Pear stocks are liable to leaf-blight early 

 in August, and therefore require to be budded 

 before growth stops. Peaches, on the other 

 hand, are in active growth into September, and 

 work upon them may be delayed well into 

 August. 



By Grafting. — This may be considered but 

 a modification of the method by budding, the 

 scion being of greater length than the bud, and 



