86 BULLETIN 813, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
desirable branches. More buds can be cut from productive trees if 
this method is followed than from unproductive ones. Sufficient evi- 
dence, both experimental and practical, has been obtained to warrant 
the statement that fruit-bearing bud wood from productive trees is 
the most desirable kind to be used for propagation. The vigorous 
growth and early-fruiting tendency of nursery trees grown from such 
bud wood are illustrated in figure 22. 
After the bud sticks have been cut the leaves and fruits should be 
clipped off, as shown in figure 19, and the bud sticks from each tree 
tied in a separate bundle with the number of the tree marked on one 
of the bud sticks or on a suitable label tied to the bundle. In this way 
the progeny of each tree can be kept separate if desired. 
As soon as the bundle of bud sticks is obtained it should be wrapped 
in some moist material, commercial sphagnum moss being suitable for 
this purpose. In moistening the dry moss, either of two methods may 
be followed. The moss can be moistened safely by adding about half 
an ounce of water to each ounce of dry moss, or it may be steamed or 
soaked in water, after which it should be run through a clothes wringer 
so adjusted as to bring the greatest possible pressure to bear on the 
moss. 
If the bud sticks are to be kept for some time before being used they 
should be stored where the temperature is about 70° F. and does not 
fluctuate greatly at any time. Under these conditions the bud wood 
may be kept in good condition for several weeks. 
In May, 1917, the California Fruit Growers' Exchange, a cooper- 
ative organization of about 8,000 citrus growers, established a bud- 
selection department as a result of these investigations. The purpose 
in the organization of this department is to provide adequate and reli- 
able sources of bud wood of citrus varities, including lemons, for use 
by all growers and propagators. As this department was established 
as a matter of public service and for the benefit of the citrus industry 
as a whole, the buds are distributed at cost to those who apply for 
them, whether the applicants are members of the exchange or not. 
The buds are taken only from trees selected on the basis of their per- 
formance records for several successive seasons. The orchards for this 
purpose are selected for their known production of superior crops of 
valuable fruits. 
In obtaining commercial supplies of reliable bud wood from the su- 
perior individual trees of the best strains in the orchards finally selected 
for this purpose, the purchaser has the opportunity of visiting and 
studying the trees from which bud wood is to be cut, inspecting the 
records of the individual trees, and examining the fruits produced by 
them. 
In cutting the bud wood from the carefully selected trees only fruit- 
bearing wood is chosen. The fruits from the bud sticks are returned 
to the owner of the trees. Each lot of bud sticks from each tree is 
