420 



THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



taking a similar section from the shoot of buds, but in neither 

 case removing the wood. The section or shield, containing 

 the bud, is then laid on the corresponding scallop in the 

 stock ; its upper edge exactly fitted as in shield-budding, and 

 at least one of its edges as in whip-grafting. After this, it is 

 tied in the usual way. This sort of budding may be performed 

 in spring, or at any season. The French gardeners often bud 

 their roses in this manner in spring, and if they fail, they 

 have a second chance in J uly by using common shield-budding. 

 Its disadvantages are, that it takes longer time to perform the 

 operation, and is less certain of success. 



The late professor Thouin enumerates no less than twenty- 

 three species and varieties of budding, but of these, none are 

 in practice in this country but the three already described ; and 

 of these, tlie first, or common shield-budding, is the most com- 

 mon in use. Budded trees are generally two years longer in 

 producing their fruit, than grafted ones ; but the advantages of 

 budding is, that where a tree is rare, a new plant can be got 

 from every eye, whereas, by grafting, it can only be got from 

 three or four eyes. When grafting has been omitted in spring, 

 then budding comes in, as an auxiliary, in summer. Mr. 

 Knight has transferred blossom-buds from one tree to the 

 barren shoots of another with success. However, he does not 

 consider this to be of much utility, but merely a curious ex- 

 periment. 



GRAFTING FRUIT-TUEES. 



A variety of saddle-grafting is practised in many parts of 

 Herefordshire, and is not done till this month, or the latter 

 end of the former. It is practised on small stocks, at the 

 time the bark is most readily detached from the alburnum. 

 The head of the stock is taken off by a single stroke of the 

 knife obliquely, so that the incision commences about a dia- 

 meter of the stock below the point, where the medulla appears 

 in the section of the stock, and ends as much above it on the 

 opposite side. The scion, which for this mode of grafting 

 should not exceed in diameter half that of the stock, is then to 

 be divided longitudinally about two inches upwards from its 



