AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
161 
BUDDING FRUIT TREES. 
As a general thjpg, farmers, as well as owners 
of garden plots, when living in the vicin.'ty of 
well regulated, thrifty nurseries, will find it less 
troublesome and quite as economical to purchase 
trees in a suitable state for planting. Others re¬ 
mote from such nurseries, and especially those 
planting largely, will find it convenient both in 
point of economy, and for greater confidence in 
varieties worked under their own eye, to raise 
their trees and do their own budding. 
Budding is preferable to grafting in several re¬ 
spects. The operation can be performed on 
younger trees, and with more certainty of suc¬ 
cess than grafting, besides requiring much less 
time, and furthermore, failures in budding may be 
grafted the following Spring. 
If one year old seedlings were set in nursery 
rows in the Spring, they will mostly be in proper 
condition for budding during this and the follow¬ 
ing months (July and August). The particular 
period can best be ascertained by trial. If the 
bark separates readily from the wood the stock is 
in the right state to receive the bud. Provide a 
budding knife, (shown below) which is very con¬ 
venient, though we have budded hundreds of 
trees with a “ jack knife,” in olden times. Get 
some good bass matting (inside bark from bass¬ 
wood trees) for strings. Cut off shoots of the 
present year's growth from those trees you wish 
to propagate. Remove the leaves growing out 
from the buds to be taken, but leave half an inch 
or more of the stem of the leaf, to handle the bud 
by when inserting it. Keep the shoots bearing 
the buds in a pail while using, with the butt ends 
immersed in water. The bass should be cut into 
strings of about ten or twelve inches in length, 
and a bundle of them moistened and wrapped in 
a wet cloth to keep them damp and pliable. 
You are now ready to insert the 
buds. Select a smooth space on 
the stock near the ground to receive 
them. Quince and Peach stocks re¬ 
quire budding so low that it is better 
to first draw away the earth from the 
trunks with a hoe, that the buds may¬ 
be inserted as near the roots, as possi¬ 
ble. The stocks in such cases will 
need rubbing off with a woolen rag to 
prevent the dirt from dulling the knife. 
The knife here introduced is the old 
English budding knife, upon one end 
of which is an ivory or bone append¬ 
age called the haft. This is used to 
scpei ate the bark from the wood. Our 
most expert budders use a similar 
blade of the lest material in a common 
handle separating the bark with the 
rounded edge of the blade. Having 
selected a favorable spot near the root 
make a cross cut as seen in figure 3, 
and a downward slit from this for an 
! inch or a little more in length, in both 
cases cutting entirely through the bark 
Instead of withdrawing the blade after 
this last cut, incline the handle a little to 
the right, and working the blade a little to 
part the bark from the wood, pass it 
upward in the same slit. With a little 
practice, the left hand lip can in this 
way be readily parted from the wood. 
Next select a stick of good, well devel¬ 
oped buds, and proceed to remove one, by 
taking the shoot in the left hand with the 
butt end from you, and inserting the knife 
one half inch beyond the bud. make a 
r/a 3 
FJC. 2 
smooth cut, as seen at A at 
fig. 2, the blade coming out 
half to three fourths of an 
inch upon the other side of 
the bud. Figure 2. repre¬ 
sents the bud taken out. The 
bud piece here represented 
is rather too short; it should 
be at least an inch and a half 
in length. The English 
practice is to remove the 
wood taken out with the bud, 
but our own nurserymen 
have of late years discarded 
it, believing the wood of ser¬ 
vice to prevent the bud from 
drying up under our hot 
Summer sun. With the 
rounded edge of the knife, 
separate the other lip at the 
cross cut and slip the bud 
down as seen in figure 3, 
cutting oft' any of the bark 
which would extend above 
the cross cut, so that it will 
fit neatly in its place. Confine 
the bud firmly by passing a strip 
of matting entirely around it, ex¬ 
cept the crown, as seen in figure 
4, opposite. 
Some use for binding narrow 
strips of worn muslin, coated with 
grafting wax, made more soft and 
sticky, by adding tallow, lard or 
oil. Old muslin or cotton will 
burst by the growth of the tree, 
and save loosening by hand. The 
bandages are prepared by apply¬ 
ing the wax while hot, with a 
painter's brush. Tear or cut the 
cloth into strips half an inch in width, and ten to 
twelve inches in length, cutting so that the 
strongest threads of the cloth shall run across the 
strips and thus burst readily by the growth of the 
tree. In about two weeks inspect the trees, and 
rebud any that are much shriveled. If they ap¬ 
pear fresh and plump, they are doing well, and the 
matting may require loosening or even removing 
if there is a rapid growth, and it has become well 
established. 
In the following Spring, 
as soon as the buds 
start, go over the 
whole and head down 
all the stocks which 
have taken, leaving 
stub some three inches 
in length, to which the 
new shoot should be 
tied after growing 
few inches, that it 
may assume a perfect¬ 
ly upright form. It is 
also less liable to be 
broken out by high 
winds. About mid¬ 
summer, or after the 
new shoot has attained 
a foot or more of 
growth, the remainder 
of the old stock above the bud should be re 
moved with a sharp pruning knife, using great 
HOUSEHOLD MACHINERY. 
FK.5. 
caution not to injure the new shoot. The white 
line at A, fig. 5, shows the point at which it should 
be “ rounded off.” The rapid growth of wood 
and bark will soon heal this wound, and in a few 
years the tree will be entirely straight and sound 
at this point. 
THE SEWING MACHINE. 
[The following communication does not strictly per¬ 
tain to Agriculture or Horticulture, yet it comes from a 
highly intelligent source—from one who has no “ ax to 
grind ’’—and as many of our lady readers have Irom 
time to time inquired of us on this very topic, we think 
the subject not out of place in this journal. In regard to 
the particular machine referred to we are not prepared to 
say that it is superior to others costing much less money. 
We have for some time contemplated introducing the 
music of the “ sewing piano ” into our own household, 
and shall do so as soon as we have time to examine the 
merits of the different instruments offered to the public, 
and report upon the result. We are already convinced 
that sewing and knitting machines can and will soon 
greatly lessen the toilsome work of the needle, and stop 
the everlasting knitting which consumes so many pre¬ 
cious hours which we desire to see devoted to adorning 
the inner temple of the mind. Let us have the labor sav¬ 
ing machines of various kinds within as well as without 
the farm house ; so far we are a believer in " Womens' 
Rights.”— Ed.] 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist. 
Nothing commands so high a price, relatively, 
as personal labor in New England. Our popula¬ 
tion in the rural districts is diminishing by emi¬ 
gration. The young, the strong, the bold and en¬ 
terprising, go to the great West to seek their for¬ 
tune, to acquire wealth and fame. We cannot 
blame them. The land there is cheaper, more 
productive, and more easily tilled. It has been 
stated by one who pretends to know, that four 
thousand of the inhabitants of New Hampshire 
are intending to go to Kansas, and other new 
Territories and States at the West, this very 
Spring. The number is probably overstated, still 
many will go, both men and women, and those, 
too, who are most in demand at home. What 
shall we do then! We, who are left in the old 
nest 1 Shall we become birds of passage too; 
and leave our Granite State to revert to its prim¬ 
itive condition 1 By no means; as the young and 
industrious leave us, we intend to supply their 
places, as far as possible, with machinery. Farm¬ 
ers have already diminished their labors very 
much by the introduction of machinery ; but the 
duties of the household, within doors, remain 
chiefly as they were. Some washing machines, 
churns, cheese presses, improved brooms and 
mops, are the principal contributions which art 
and science have made to the department of the 
kitchen. Cradles and baby-jumpers lend their aid 
to quiet the nursery—“ a consummation devoutly 
to be wished.” Time and skill have recently 
brought into use a more important adjutant still to 
the housewife. “ The song of the shirt ” will soon 
become obsolete; “ destitute needle women ” 
will be among the things that were, and the ach¬ 
ing fingers and dimmed eyes of the family seam¬ 
stress will soon be talked of as one of the trials ol 
ancient housewives. Sewing machines are tak¬ 
ing the world by storm. They captivate all 
hearts and brighten all eyes. They discourse to 
the weary housekeeper most excellent music. 
They can’t be beat. My wife and I debated long 
about the propriety of buying a sewing machine. 
Could we afford it 1 Ah! that’s the rub. One 
hundred and twenty-five dollars for one of Grovei 
& Baker’s best machines, makes a large outlaj 
for one family. But what is the interest of that 
sum ! Did not we hire a seamstress three months 
last year, and board her, to do our family sewing ! 
Oh, yes ; that cost us more than the interest on 
the price of three machines ; besides, we cannot 
now procure a seamstress, for love or money, to 
do our work. The help cannot be found. That 
decides the matter. We must have a machine. 
It is ordered ; in fact, Mr. Editor, our sewing ma¬ 
chine has actually come ! Such a welcome arri 
val we have not had in twenty years of house 
