GRAFTING AND BUDDING. 



193 



exposed to the sun. The heading down of the budded stocks 

 is performed after winter, in March. Those stocks whose 

 buds have missed are cut off under the graft, in order to be 

 budded afresh in the following August, or they need not be so 

 Gat, but budded with a pushing bud in April or May, the buds 

 being taken from shoots which have been kept buried in sand 

 at the north side of a wall. Sometimes the stock is allowed 

 to grow to some height, in order to be crown-grafted. 



The species of plum which best suits as a stock for grafting 

 the peach is the black damson (which is raised from seed), or 

 any other kind allied to the peach. It is budded in July. On 

 the Myrobalan plum the peach does not live long. In nur- 

 series, where they have either a wild or a cultivated species of 

 plum allied to the peach, they use it in the intermediary method. 

 They graft it at first on a plum-tree of any kind, then in the 

 first August of its growth they bud it with the peach. In a 

 case of uncertainty, the chances of success would be doubled 

 by inserting an apricot or plum-bud over or opposite the 

 peach-bud. When the young shoots shall have reached the 

 length of 6 inches, the plum or apricot shoot is pinched, and 

 cut away altogether when the heel is removed. In this way, 

 should the peach-bud miss, we have the others to fall back 

 upon. 



Tail standard peaches are most usually grafted on the top 

 of the stem of the almond or plum. In England they use tho 

 Brampton plum as an intermediary, and on it graft the peach. 

 We have obtained very satisfactory results with the peach- 

 plum. In the propagation of rare varieties the peach is 

 branch- grafted under glass. In the open air a trial might 

 be made of the method oalled mixed grafting, using plum 

 branches which have been budded a year before with peach-buds 

 (see p. 147). These would be cleft-grafted the following spring. 

 The peach on its own roots does not make a vigorous stock, 



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