Edible Products, 



498 



[JONE, 1910. 



become familiar with yautia or eddoes 

 they are ofteu recommended as better 

 than potatoes. But if one expects too 

 close a similarity he is disappointed, 

 Instead of the soft, mealy, white, 

 bland-tasting " mashed-potato," one 

 finds a much firmer material of a 

 somewhat yellowish or greyish colour 

 and a distinct, slightly nutty flavour. 

 Nobody would be likely to mistake 

 eddo for potato, and if potato were 

 expected eddoes might be a distinct 

 disappointment. But if we give the 

 eddo a fair trial on its own merits, it 

 may hold its own with the potato in 

 our gastronomic affections. We may 

 be surprised to find ourselves as 

 willing to have eddoes served as 

 potatoes, or to find that we miss the 

 eddoes at home as much as we did 

 the potatoes in Africa. 



SHIELD BUDDING FOR THE MANGO. 



(Prom the Agricultural Neivs, Vol. IX., 

 No. 207, April, 1910.) 



In Bulletin No, 20 of the Hawaiian 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, an 

 account is given of the means by which 

 shield budding may be employed in the 

 case of the mango, and the advantages 

 of the method suggest that it is worthy 

 of trial in the West Indies. An illus- 

 trated account of the propagation of the 

 mango by patch budding was given in 

 the Agricultural Neivs, Vol. III., p. 283. 

 In order to facilitate experiments in 

 shield budding by those who are 

 interested in the subject, the following 

 information has been taken from the 

 bulletin to which reference is made : — 



The proposed method is new only in 

 its modifications and in its application 

 to the mango. It is merely shield bud- 

 ding with an inverted T adapted to the 

 peculiarities of the mango. Shield bud- 

 ding is probably one of the oldest, and 

 certainly the most widely practised, of 

 all methods of budding. Ordinary 

 shield budding had been tried on the 

 mango long ago, following the general 

 practice in the selection of bud-wood 

 and stock that governs in the shield 

 budding of citrus fruits, peach, or plum. 

 In this case young bud-wood was used 

 with the leaf still attached, and it was 

 inserted in young wood. It soon became 

 apparent, however, that this method 

 would not work successfully, and it was 

 abandoned, giving place to the patch 

 bud, which was practised with more 

 mature bud- wood and stock. The 

 present method consists in using wood 

 of the same maturity as in patch 

 budding, but adopts the similar device 



for bringing the bud shield into contact 

 with the stock, and may be known as 

 shield budding with an inverted T in- 

 cision. 



The Stock.— Budding by this method 

 has been successfully performed on 

 stocks from an inch to 8 inches in dia- 

 meter. What the limitations are, on 

 either side of these dimensions, is not 

 known at present. Wood of this size, in 

 seedling trees, may be from two to five 

 years old. It is essential that the stocks 

 be in a thrifty condition and, still more 

 important, that they should be in 

 ''flush." If not in this condition, the 

 bark will not readily separate from the 

 stock. It has been found that the best 

 time is when the terminal buds are 

 just opening. Unless the trees are 

 watched carefully, they will pass this 

 stage before the flush is observed. 

 When the young, brown leaves have 

 appeared, it is often too late to bud, and 

 the operation must be postponed until 

 the next flush. 



The Bud-Wood.— The bud-wood which 

 has been most successfully used is that 

 which has lost most of its leaves, and is 

 turning brown or grey in colour. Such 

 wood is usually about an inch in dia- 

 meter. It is not necessary in this 

 method of budding that the bud-wood 

 should be in flushing condition, although 

 it may be an advantage to have it so. 

 It should, however, be healthy wood 

 of normal growth. 



Preparation of the Stock.— The in- 

 cisions should be made in the stock 

 about six inches iu length. At the lower 

 end of this make an incision at right 

 angles to it, with the knife edge pointing 

 upwards at an angle of about 45 degrees 

 with the stock, thus making a curved 

 incision. Insert the sharpened end of 

 the handle of the budding-knife beneath 

 the bark at the junction of these in- 

 cisions, and push it gently upward, 

 raising the bark so as to make a place for 

 the bud. It is not necessary to push the 

 handle far, but, by gently prying, the 

 bark may be separated from the stock 

 if the latter is in proper condition, with- 

 out injuring the delicate cells against 

 which the bud shield is to be placed. 



Preparation op the Bud-Wood.— The 

 bud is now to be lemoved from the bud- 

 wood. With a rather heavier knife than 

 is generally used for budding, in the 

 right hand, and the bud-wood held 

 firmly iu the left, place the blade 

 against the bud-wood with a very slight 

 inclination, and cut so as to make as 

 flat a surface as possible under the bud 

 shield. This bud shield should be about 

 3 to 3£ inches long, with the bud in 

 the centre. The small portion of wood, 



