PROPAGATION BY BUDDING. 



343 



SHIELD-BUDDING 

 REVERSED. 



eye turned downwards has been recommend- 

 ed. But its most important use is to induce 

 a state of productiveness in 

 fruit trees. In consequence 

 of the bud being placed with 

 its point downwards, an inter- 

 ruption takes place in the flow 

 of the sap. This effect is denied 

 by many, who say the shoots 

 after a time regain their natu- 

 ral position, and hence no such 

 interruption takes place. The 

 shoot, no doubt, the second 

 year, takes its natural upright 

 direction ; but the bend, which 

 is always abrupt at the point 

 where it changes from the pen- 

 dant to the upright, has much 

 the same effect on the sap's 

 flow as that of bending an up- 

 right branch downwards, but 

 probably not to the same ex- 

 tent. 



Shield-budding with a termi- 

 nal bud. — This mode is some- 

 times employed in" the case 

 of a tree losing its leading 

 shoot, or of a branch meeting 

 with a similar accident. 



Shield-budding with a view to repair injury 

 done to the bark. — This is done by paring the 

 edges of the wound smooth, and selecting a piece 

 of healthy bark from the same or from another 

 tree of the same species, of the same shape and 

 size, and covering the wound so exactly that a 

 union takes place and the blemish is repaired. 

 It is difficult to cause adhesion in the case of 

 stone-fruits by this means. It is, however, sel- 

 dom resorted to. 



Shield-budding the rose is thus described by 

 Mr Paul, in his beautiful work, " The Rose 

 Garden," p. 131; and as few have succeeded 

 more in the propagation of " the queen of 

 flowers," we present his modus operandi in 

 nearly his own words : " The piece of bark is 

 called the bud (d, fig. 118), and the tree in 

 which it is inserted is called the stock. In the 

 first place, obtain a shoot from the tree whose 

 identity we wish to perpetuate ; from this the 

 leaves are cut off, leaving, however, about half 

 an inch of the leaf-stalk to every bud. Before 

 proceeding farther, the prickles should be 

 rubbed off both stock and scion, that they may 

 not interfere with the operation, or annoy the 

 fingers of the operator. Now take the budding- 

 knife in the right hand, and make a longitudinal 

 cut, a a, about an inch in length, terminated at 

 the top end, 6, with a cross cut. In using the 

 knife, take care not to cut too deep : through the 

 bark is all that is necessary ; deeper is, indeed, 

 injurious. Now turn the handle of the knife to 

 the incision, running it up and down the cut 

 a a, twisting it slightly on either side, to raise 

 the bark. All is now ready for the reception of 

 the stranger bud. Take the shoot which is to 

 furnish it in the left hand, with the thicker 

 part towards the finger-ends; with the knife in 

 the right hand, commence cutting about half 

 an inch behind the bud, passing the knife up- 



wards under the bud, and to about the same 

 distance beyond it. The knife should have a 



Fig. 118. 



MR PAUL S METHOD OF SHIELD -BUDDING. 



keen edge, that the bark may not be ruffled in 

 the operation. In cutting out the bud, the 

 knife should pass through almost level ; it may, 

 however, in some cases dip a trifle, when passing 

 directly under the bud, as the wood before and 

 behind it is not always on the same level. If 

 the bud be cut ever so skilfully, there will be a 

 little of the wood adhering thereto. This some 

 advise the removal of ; others say, let it remain. 

 Much depends on circumstances. If the shoot 

 is not fully ripe, or if, from the nature of the 

 variety, the wood is soft when taken, cut the 

 bud as shallow as possible, and place it with the 

 wood in the stock; but the shoot is usually 

 ripe and firm, and then the wood should be 

 withdrawn. To do this easily, place the bud 

 between the fore-finger and thumb of the left 

 hand, with the cut uppermost, and with the 

 upper end pointing from the hand. Insert the 

 point of the knife just beneath the wood, c — 

 that is, between the wood and the bark — and 

 by a skilful twist of the knife (which can only 

 be acquired by practice) the wood may be 

 jerked out. Now with the same hand place 

 the bud on the bark of the stock, parallel with 

 the longitudinal incision, and with the upper 

 end towards the top of the shoot; then with 

 the handle of the knife raise the bark on the 

 side opposite to that on which the bud is placed, 

 pushing two-thirds of the bud beneath the bark 

 with the thumb. Now raise the bark on the 

 opposite side, and the bud may be gently pushed 

 under with the handle of the knife, or will pro- 

 bably drop in. When properly placed, the eye 

 of the bud should be directly under the opening 

 caused by the raising of the edges of the bark 

 of the longitudinal incision/; if it be not so, 

 the handle of the budding-knife should be in- 

 serted beneath the bark, to push it to a right 



