THE BUDDING STORY STEP BY STEP 
A Practical Lesson on an Improved Method 
of a Practical Process of Propagation 
JOHN L. DOAN 
B ROBABLY three trees out of every four growing in our 
fruit orchards were propagated by budding; so also are 
the great majority of garden Roses and many other 
plants of particular varieties. 
This fascinating art, so vitally important to the gardener, has 
been known from ancient times; but its present high develop- 
ment is recent. The process is simple, but needs to be done 
with exact attention to detail, and a knowledge of how to bud is 
essential to any one who would be a real gardener, as it is one 
of the basic methods of propagation, the one that must be 
followed in multiplying definite varieties of such plants as do 
not do their best as cuttings. 
In nursery practice the bud is nearly always inserted under 
the bark near the ground, upon the trunk of a tree from one to 
three years old. The stock is cut off a little above the inserted 
bud early the following spring and the latter is forced into 
growth by keeping off all sprouts that start from natural buds. 
Frequently, however, the grower may have a seedling tree 
several years old that he may wish to change to a named variety; 
■or an unsatisfactory kind that he desires to change to a better 
one; and to do this all the leading branches of the tree are 
budded. The method usually employed is the one known as 
“shield budding.” It gets its name from the shape of the 
section of bark that surrounds the bud. 
The conditions essential to successful budding are as follows: 
the stock and bud must be fairly closely related, though the 
chances for success are not always in proportion to the closeness 
of the botanical relationship. What kinds of trees will be 
suitable stocks for a given kind of fruit can be learned with 
certainty only by trial. Different varieties of the same species 
will usually unite readily; in a large number of cases different 
species of the same genus are congenial; and it is not uncommon 
for buds to “take” readily and make enduring unions upon stock 
of a different genus that is closely related. Apples are budded 
upon Apple seedlings, Pears upon Pear stocks for standard 
trees or upon Quince stock for dwarfs, Peach and Apricot upon 
Peach, and Plum upon Plum (or sometimes Peach) seedlings, 
often Lilac on Privet. 
The work must be done when the bark is loose and when 
plenty of cambium, the layer of living tissue between the bark 
and wood, is present. This period may last from late April or 
early May into August, or, in moist seasons, into September. 
For spring budding dormant buds of last year’s wood, that 
have been kept on ice, are used. But for summer budding, 
which is much more common, mature buds of the current year’s 
growth are employed. As a rule, these may be had, except for 
Peaches and Apricots, about the middle of July in the latitude 
of New York City. 
The budding knife should have a thin blade of the best steel, 
with a rounded end; and a fine keen edge must be kept upon it 
to secure satisfactory results. The bark of the stock must 
always be smooth where the bud is inserted. The size of stock 
most convenient for budding ranges from the thickness of a 
lead pencil to half an inch in diameter. 
Vigorous shoots of the current year’s growth of the desired 
variety, bearing strong, mature buds, are cut and their leaf 
blades are removed at once, leaving about a third of an inch of 
each stalk. These shoots are called “ budsticks.” They may 
be wrapped in moist burlap or cloth and used at once, or they 
may be similarly wrapped and kept in a refrigerator for several 
days if necessary. When they are used they should be in a 
loose bundle with their bases sticking a little way out of the 
wrapping, so that they may be pulled out singly as needed, 
without injury to the buds. 
Preparing the Stock 
N PREPARING the stock for the bud we are usually told 
to make a longitudinal cut an inch long through the bark 
and then to make a horizontal cut across it at the top. The 
bark at the intersection of the cuts is next loosened by the blade 
or the end of the chisel-like handle of the knife. Edward 
Zimmermann, an employee of the Bridgeport (Indiana) Nur- 
series, has worked out a method of making the incision upon the 
stock that is more speedy and satisfactory than the common 
one, and which, so far as the writer knows, has not yet been 
described in print. 
The top of the T-shaped incision is made first, and, instead of 
being made square to the stock, it is crescent-shaped and is made 
with the knife blade slanting downward, at an angle of 45 degrees j 
to the stock. This cut may be made by a quick, careful, rock- 
ing motion; but the skilled budder, using a blade with a well 
rounded end, may make it at a single movement, the last part 
of the cut being made by the end of the blade. It is important 
that the cut shall go entirely through the bark, but not into the 
wood. The longitudinal cut is then begun an inch below the 
middle of the crescent-shaped one and is carried up to it. The 
knife may be guided easily and accurately by keeping the ex- 
tended forefinger or middle finger of the hand that holds it 
pressed lightly against the side of the stock as the stroke is made. 
When the blade reaches the cross cut, make a quick movement 
to the left, then to the right; and the incision will open for the 
bud if the bark be loose and the cuts have been properly made. 
(See Fig. 1.) 
Cutting the Bud 
T HE next step is to cut the bud. Usually there are several 
small, weak ones near the base of the budstick. Reject 
these. Use the lowest good bud first and work upward. In 
this way one is less likely to knock off leaf stalks or damage 
buds, because they point upward. All of the immature buds 
at the upper end of the budstick should be rejected. 
It requires considerable skill to cut a good bud and careful 
handling of the knife to avoid cutting the fingers. If the be- 
ginner would succeed in both of these matters he will find use for 
most or all of the directions given below and illustrated in Fig. 
2 . They are based upon the accumulated experience of several 
skilled budders. 
Hold the bud stick in the left hand (as shown in Fig. 2) with 
the bud to be first cut turned up. Have the first joint of the 
straightened forefinger directly beneath it and have the thumb 
upon the opposite side a little farther up. Holding the knife 
in the right hand, start the cut with the base of the blade and 
about half an inch below the bud proper, or “germ” as it is 
technically called, and make a long, smooth, shallow stroke, 
extending about three quarters of an inch above the “germ.” 
The entire portion cut from the bud stick, including the bark 
and a thin layer of wood is called the “bud.” (Fig. 3) The 
layer of wood need not be removed, as its presence makes it 
easier to slip the bud into its place quickly and smoothly, 
and it does not interfere with the union of the bud with the 
stock. Care should be taken that the bud be not too thick. If, 
however, the bud should be cut too thin it is harder to get it of 
the desired length and of the stiffness needed to push it into 
