20 
PROPAGATION. 
circumstances. In grafting, we use a branch, composed of seve- 
ral buds with a considerable quantity of bark and wood ; while 
in budding, we employ but a single bud, with a very small quan- 
tity of the adjoining bark and wood. 
The advantages of budding fruit trees, compared with grafting, 
are so considerable, that in this country it is ten times as much 
practised. These are, first, the great rapidity with which it is 
performed ; a skilful budder, with a clever boy following him to 
tie the buds, being able to work from a thousand to twelve hun- 
dred young nursery stocks in a day. 2 d. The more convenient 
season at which it is performed, in all countries where a short 
spring crowds garden labours within a small space. 3d. Being 
able to perform the operation without injuring the stock in case 
of failure, which is always more or less the case in stocks headed 
down for grafting. 4th. The opportunity which it affords, when 
performed in good season, of repeating the trial on the same 
stock. To these we may add that budding is universally pre- 
ferred here for all stone fruits, such as Peaches, Apricots, and 
the like, as these require extra skill in grafting, but are budded 
with great ease. 
The proper season for budding fruit trees in this country is 
from the first of July to the middle of September; the different 
trees coming into season as follows ; Plums, Cherries, Apri- 
cots on Plums, Apricots, Pears, Apples, Quinces, Nectarines, 
and Peaches. Trees of considerable size will require budding 
earlier than young seedling stocks. But the opera- 
tion is always, and only, performed when the bark of 
the stock parts or separates freely from the wood , and 
when the buds of the current year’s growth are some- 
what plump, and the young wood is growing firm. 
Young stocks in the nursery, if thrifty, are usually 
planted out in the rows in the spring, and budded the 
same summer or autumn. 
Before commencing you should provide yourself with 
a budding knife, Fig. 7, (about four and a half inches 
long,) having a rounded blade at one end, and an ivory 
handle terminating in a thin rounded edge called the 
haft, a, at the other. 
In choosing your buds, select thrifty shoots that 
have nearly done growing, and prepare what is called 
a stick of buds , Fig. 8, by cutting off a few of the 
imperfect buds at the lower, and such as may be yet 
too soft at the upper ends, leaving only smooth well 
developed single buds ; double buds being fruit-buds. 
Cut off the leaves, allowing about half an inch of the 
foot-stalks to remain for conveniently inserting the 
buds. Some strands of bass-matting about twelve or 
■fourteen inches long, previously soaked in water to 
