SHIELD-BUDDING. 95 



sap is least abundant, to prevent the "strangulation " or 

 "throwing out" of the bud. In such species, the bark is 

 not strong enougli to hold the bud firmly until it unites ; 

 and solid union does not take place until the flow of sap 

 lessens. Budding is largely employed upon nearly all 

 young fruit trees, and almost universally so upon the stone 

 fruits. It is also used in roses and many ornamental trees. 

 Upon nursery trees, it is employed in a greater number of 

 cases than grafting is, but grafting is in commoner use for 

 working-over the tops of large trees. Budding is com- 

 monly performed during the growing season, usually in 

 late summer or early fall, because mature buds 

 can be procured at that time, and young stocks 

 are then large enough to be worked readily. 

 But budding can be done in early spring, just as 

 soon as the bark loosens ; in this case perfectly 

 dormant buds must have been taken in winter 

 and kept in a cellar, ice-house or other cool 

 place. Budding is always best performed when 

 the bark slips or peels easily. It can be done 

 when the bark is tight, but the operation is then 

 tedious and uncertain. It is also much more successful 

 when performed in dry, clear weather. 



Shield-budding. — There is but one style of budding in 

 general use in this country. This is known as shield-bud- 

 ding, from the shield-like shape of the portion of bark 

 which is removed with the bud. Technically, the entire 

 se\'ered portion, comprising both bark and bud, is called 

 a "bud." A shield-bud is shown natural size in Fig. 85. 

 This is cut from a young twig of the present season's 

 growth. It is inserted underneath the bark of a young 

 stock or branch (Fig. 91), and is then securely tied, as 

 shown in Fig. 92. 



The minor details of shield-budding differ with nearly 

 every operator, and with the kind of plant which is to be 

 budded. In commercial pracdce, it is performed in the 

 north mostly from early July until the middle of Septem- 



