81 



-of the first growth before winter. If the budding can not be done by 

 -the time named, it is probably best to wait and put in dormant bads in 

 October or November. 



Selection of Buds. 

 Bud wood should always be selected from fairly well-matured wood 



of the current year's growth. Round sticks (or as nearly round as 

 possible) should be selected. The young growth of orange wood is at 

 first angular, becoming rounder as the twig matures. The basal 

 portions of the young branches, which are nearly or quite round supply 

 the best buds, with the exception of the first two or three, which are 

 usually somewhat imperfect and should be discarded. Where it is 

 difl&cult to secure well-rounded wood, angular wood which is not too 

 soft may be used. This, however, is not quite so satisfactory Thorny 

 bud wood should never be use 1 when other wood can be obtained. Thorny 

 trees are very undesirable, and a careful selection of thornless bud wood 

 will soon result in thornl«ss trees. The thorns have been bred out of 

 many of the best citrus varieties, and if nurserymen would exercise 

 proper care all the desirable varieties could soon be rendered thornless. 



1 he bud wood should be cut while the wood is dormant, before the 

 buds show any signs of pushing. That desired for spring budding 

 should be cut the latter part of January. It is well to leave the 

 wood on the tree as long as possible, and therefore the trees should 

 be carefully observed during this period. When the first buds are 

 observed to be swelling, all the bud wood desired should be cut 

 immediately. After cutting, the leaves should be pruned off and the 

 twigs cut into sections of the desired length. To preserve the bud 

 wood until needed, the twigs should be tied up in convenient-sized 

 bundles, carefully labeled, and packed in old sawdust in a box of suit- 

 able size. The box should then be closed and buried in sheltered ground 

 several inches below the surface. In this way bud wood can be pre- 

 served in good condition for from two to three months. Dampened 

 sphagnum, or peat moss, may be used instead of sawdust, but in this 

 case considerable care must be exercised to get the moss properly dried. 

 It must be moist, but not wet, for if too wet the bud wood may mould. 

 The same caution applies also to sawdust. In this case, the proper de- 

 gree of moisture can be secured by taking the material from the interior 

 of an old pile Sawdust does not lose its moisture readily and is the 

 best material for packing. Some simply bury the bud wood in the soil 

 u der shelter, digging down until the moist earth is reached. 



Materials. 



Before beginning the operation of budding, material should be pro- 

 vided for wrapping the buds. For this purpose cotton cord, yarn, strips 

 of waxed cloth, etc., are used. The last named has practically super- 

 seded all others in Florida, being more convenient and giving better 

 results than any other wrapping material. The strips are made from 

 strong muslin or calico. Before the cloth is torn into strips, it is folded 

 into convenient size and dipped into a hot solution of wax made by 

 melting together two parts of beeswax and one part of resin. Several 

 formulas for making this wax are used, any one of which will probably 

 answer. The method described is known from personal experience and 

 observation to give good results. After saturating the cloth with the 

 iiot wax, all the superfluous wax should be removed before the cloth 



