CHAP. IV.] 
BUDDING. 
89 
longitudinal and across are then made in a 
shoot of the stock, generally near the fork of 
a branch; and the bark is gently raised by 
the handle of the budding knife, which is 
purposely made thin and flat, while the piece 
of bark to which the bud is attached is slip¬ 
ped into the opening, and the bark of the 
stock closed over it. This is an operation 
that requires the greatest nicety and exact¬ 
ness ; as unless the inner bark of the bud fits 
quite closely to the soft wood of the stock, it 
is in vain to hope that it will take. The 
operation is then completed by binding the 
two parts together with a strand or strip of 
bast mat, which in the case of rose trees is 
quite sufficient; but buds on apple and pear 
trees are sometimes wrapped round with wet 
moss, which is tied on by shreds of bast 
matting. In all cases, the strips of bast 
should be left long enough to be tied with 
bows and ends, that the ligature may be 
loosened and tied again without deranging 
the position of the bud as soon as it begins 
to grow. The first sign of the bud having 
taken, as it is called, is when the petiole of 
the leaf (that was left on when the leaf itself 
