^rbovicultural 
BUDDING. 
The process known in horticulture as 
budding is simply the art of taking a bud 
with a small portion of the bark from one 
plant and inserting it into another. The 
plant Into which the bud is inserted is called 
the slock, and there must be an affinity be¬ 
tween the plant from which the bud is 
taken and the one upon which it is placed, 
and the nearer the relationship the more 
certain will be the union. Apples are bud¬ 
ded upon apple stocks or some plant nearly 
related, also pears upon t he pear, quince, 
hawthorn, mountain ash, or other plant be¬ 
longing to the Pyrus family or genus. 
In performing this operation it is Import¬ 
ant that the bark of the stock should be.in 
a condition to part readily from the wood, 
because the bark adhering to tin* bud is 
usually slipped under that of the stock, 
where the assimilated sap as it descends 
from the leaves can reach and nourish the 
inserted bud, tlioreby aiding in forming a 
union between stock and bud. The process 
or art of budding is applicable to all kinds 
of woody plants, and is sometimes used in 
propagating the succulent or herbaceous, 
but is mainly used for multiplying trees and 
shrubs. 
The time for budding most kinds of fruit 
and ornamental trees, as well as roses and 
other shrubs, is during their growth in 
Summer. .July and August in the North¬ 
ern States being the two months in which 
most of this kind of work is performed. 
The conditions necessary to success are, 
first, well developed buds of the present 
season’s growth, and stocks upon which the 
bark will peel readily from the wood, ad¬ 
mitting the inserted bud without wounding 
1 lie wood underneath. Second—The opera¬ 
tion must be rapidly and carefully per¬ 
formed. Thtt materials required are some 
soft bass-bark, or any similar substance, 
with which to tie in the buds, and a sharp, 
thiu-bluded knife, the end being rounded 
as shown in figure 1—this being the usual 
form of budding knife used by the nursery¬ 
men in this vicinity, and probaly elsewhere. 
Before proceeding to cut the buds, examine 
the stocks whether they arc branches of 
trees, or seedlings raised for the purpose. 
By making an incision through the bark 
and passing the point of the knife under, 
slightly lifting, the condition of the stocks 
may be readily ascertained. If the bark 
parts readily from the wood the stock may 
be considered in a proper condition for 
budding. 
The branches from which buds are to be 
taken should be of the present season’s 
growth, the buds upon them plump and 
firm, but not so ripe that the leaves attached 
have fallen off. After cutting the branch, 
out. away the leaves, but not the entire leaf 
stem, and leave enough to take hold of, as 
shown iu Fig. 2, which represents a twig 
from a pear tree. When a sufficient num¬ 
ber of branches have been cut to supply 
buds for several hours’ work, or less, roll 
them in damp moss, or paper, and carry to 
where they are to be used. Now, with the 
knife, make an incision through the bark, 
and crosswise of t he stock, and from this 
incision another dowuwsrd, and about an 
inch and a half long—the two incisions mak¬ 
ing a wound resembling the letter T, as 
shown in Fig. 3. Lift the edges of the bark 
slightly with the rounded point of the knife, 
and the incision is ready for the insertion 
of the bud. The bud and a slight portion of 
wood is cut from the branch, as shown in 
Fig. 2 c, the knife passing in below the bud, 
and brought out about a half inch, or more, 
above. Those having experience in bud¬ 
ding will usually cut n number of buds from 
the twig before making the incisions in the 
stock; but one at a time is the safest plan 
for a novice. Now, insert the lower point 
of t he bark upon which the bud is situated 
under the two lifted edges of that on the 
stock, and thrust It down to the bottom of 
the incision. 
If the upper end of the bark should not 
pass completely under, cut it off even with 
the cross incision in the stock. Then pro¬ 
ceed to wind the stock above and below the 
bud, but up close to it. Draw the ligature 
firmly and tie or fasten in any way to keep 
it from unwinding. If very strong material 
is used for tying, it may be necessary to 
loosen the ligatures in two or three weeks 
after the buds are inserted; but where buds 
are inserted into branches of a half inch to 
an inch in diameter, this is seldom required. 
On small stocks it is well to examine the 
bud in two or three weeks, and if the stocks 
show a depression where the ligatures are, 
it is well to cut them loose. 
The buds are not expected to grow until 
the following Spring, at which time the 
stock above the buds should be removed. 
The point of separation should be from two 
to three inches above the bud, and all other 
sprouts kept removed from the stock. Of 
course we are supposing that the stock is a 
small seedling; but should it be a branch on 
a large tree then the sprouts only on the 
branch budded need be removed. 
P'ic, 1. 
Ladies who have strong young suckers of 
common roses may bud them with the more 
delicate varieties, such as Tea or Bourbons. 
Choice varieties of fruits may he budded 
upon poor kinds, and a very little praotloe 
will enable almost any man, woman, boy or 
girl to perform this operation successfully, 
and with pleasure and profit to family and 
friends. 
-- 
“ SUGAR-PRODUCING TREES.” 
In Rural New-Yorker of July 6th, 
under the above caption, after mentioning 
the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharin vm), the 
Ash-leaved Maple or Box Elder, and the 
Black Walnut, which has recently been 
added to the list, you say, “ the three trees 
just named seem to be the only ones as yet 
that may bo regarded as yielding sugar in 
profitable quantity among our native forest 
trees—at least that have been discovered.” 
1 was surprised to see such a statement in 
the Rural, wh ich 1 had regarded as author¬ 
ity in almost everything. The Scarlet, or 
Soft Maple Ulcer ruhrum), is nearly equal 
to the Rock or Sugar Maple as a sugar-pro¬ 
ducing tree. In the year 18*16 I tapped 
about UK) trees of each variety; 1 took .'50 
gallons of sail from each variety and boiled 
it down separately. The Sugar Maple pro¬ 
duced .’5 pounds 11 ounces and the Soft 
Maple 3 pounds 9 ounces of good sugar. 
This sap w*as taken from seven old trees of 
each kind. 1 then took .so gallons from 
seven young thrifty growing trees of each 
kind, and the produce of sugar was2pounds 
13 ounces from the Soft Maple and 2 pounds 
11 ounces from t he Hard Maple. Last Spring 
1 tapped 101 trees in my Soft Maple grove, 
trees only 11 years old, and made between 
80 and 100 pounds of sugar. From these 
facts I beg you to include the Soft Maple in 
your list of sugar-producing forest trees. 
It has been known for more than forty 
years that both the Black Walnut and But¬ 
ternut trees will produce nearly as much 
sugar as the Rook or Sugar Maple. 1 know 
they will produce sugar in nearly paying 
quantities; but It is not quite as white and 
good as that produced from the Hard and 
Soft maple; at least, I never could make as 
guild sugar from them. The Butternut tree 
y ields more sap than the Black Walnut, and 
the Soft Maple yields more than the Hard 
Maple. If any one proposes to test what 1 
have stated, let them take trees located as 
nearly alike as possible, for a tree on high 
land will yield sweeter sap, hut not so much 
of it as a tree on low or bottom land.— I.y- 
sandkr W. Babbitt, Maple Grove, Coun¬ 
cil Bluffs, July 12. 1872. 
We were not. ignorant of the fact that 
sugar had been and could be made from 
many other trees besides those named; but 
whether profitably we bad our doubts, and 
still have, especially as regards the Soft Ma¬ 
ple, (Acer ruhrum.) It certainly yields a 
large quantity of sap; but, so far as our ex¬ 
perience extends (and we have made sugar 
from it more than once), it contains far less 
sugar than the Hard Maple. The Silver Ma¬ 
ple (Acer dasycarpuni), so plentiful at the 
West, and which resembles the Scarlet Ma¬ 
ple very closely, we should think might 
yield a richer sap than the Seal-let Maple of 
our Eastern swamps. The Butternut and 
Black Walnut are also old acquaintances of 
ours in sugar making, hot the first yields a 
sugar of very poor quality, and requires 
more than ordinary care to make it grauu 
late. The Black Walnut is, perhaps, a little 
better. The Black and Paper Birch will 
also yield a little sugar, but the Yellow 
Wood of Kentucky ( ('laJrasUs liuchrria) 
is, in our opinion, far better than either of 
the last half dozen named. We have not 
exhausted the list of native sugar-bearing 
trees by a long way, but the point we make 
is tliis, that the sugar or Hard Maple (and, 
perhaps, the Box Elder in the West) are the 
best, and will thrive where the others do; 
therefore, why not plant these in prefer¬ 
ence to inferior species ? 
.-- 
TIME TO PLANT FRUIT TREES. 
Will you, or some of your subscribers, 
please inform me when is the hotter time 
for setting fruit trees, in the Fall or Spring ( 
Also, liow is the better way to keep trees 
(for Spring planting) through the Whiter— 
heel them in, or bury them up ?—Sheffield, 
Pa ., July 16. 
There are various circumstances to be 
taken into consideration in determining 
which is the better time for planting fruit 
trees, Spring or Fall. If the soil is light 
and moderately dry, and the locality not 
too far North, trees may be safely planted 
in the fall, provided they are Of the most 
hardy kinds, such as apples, pears and 
plums; but taking all things into consider¬ 
ation, we prefer early Spring to Autumn. 
But the trees should always be dug up in 
Autumn and transported to the place 
where they are to be planted, and then 
carefully heeled-in. It may be well enough 
to cover the entire stem with eart h, if re¬ 
ceived very late in the season; but this is 
seldom necessary or advisable, because mice 
will sometimes get in among the trees and 
feed upon the bark and young twigs during 
Wint er. In heellng-ln the roots should be 
covered quite deep, so that at least a foot 
or more of the stems will be covered. 
If there is any danger of 
the stems or branches being 
injured by cold, shade them 
with branches of evergreens; jjBi 
or old coffee sacks may be J™. 
used for the same purpose. || | !| 
Hay or straw might be used ■ | | 1 
if it did not offer an attract- I ' H 
ive retreat for mice; hut ul- H . 
most anything that will par- ■ i MrB 
tially shade the branches du- || , 
ring the Winter and not pre- ffl 
vent rain and snow reaching || l| | jffif 
them, will answer. M |H 
The principal objection to jjfej JWf 
burying the trees entire in H||iJljH 
the soil is that the buds are 
often injured during thaws ^ 
in Winter, or perhaps before 
they are taken out In Spring. If one 
could be certain that the soil would re¬ 
main frozen from the time the trees were 
buried until within a few days before they 
were taken out in Spring, then we would 
prefer this system of preservation to any 
other; hut we are not, hence it is not always 
safe In every locality. 
The reason why we prefer to have all 
deciduous trees that are to be transplanted 
in Spring, dug up iu Autumn, is to allow 
plenty of time for wounds on the roots to 
heal preparatory to producing new rootlets. 
This healing process will proceed quite 
rapidly, even in cold weather, if the roots 
are buried sufficiently deep. 
.-- 
Mulch the Trees.— Joseph Richards 
should lose no time in mulching his Spring 
planted trees if he wants to save them from 
the effects of drouth, l ie should have done 
this in Spring; but it is not too late now. 
J|icht (Jjjrojjs. 
SOWING GRASS SEED ALONE. 
I see a writer in your paper is opposed 
to sowing grass seed with other crops; and 
to sowing Timothy and Clover together. 
Now / should like to know your opinion on 
this subject. I know you, as an editor, do 
not hold yourself responsible for the opin¬ 
ions of your correspondents; but we have 
so much confidence in your common sense, 
as well as experience, that we are glad to 
know what the editors think. — R. Y. 
Briggs. 
We are not opposed to sowing grass seed 
with other crops, especially with those 
grains that have comparatively little foliage, 
such as wheat, rye and barley. We have 
never succeeded well with buckwheat, 
though its foliage is not greater than bar¬ 
ley. Wo think too little attention is paid 
to this matter of seeding for meadows and 
pasturage, however, among farmers. We 
have raised good crops of Clover and Timo¬ 
thy by seeding with spring wheat, rye or 
barley. We have always raised better crops 
—that is, got a better stand-by sowing our 
grass Reed early in March, upon land in 
winter wheat or rye, rolling it iu and plas¬ 
tering it well. We have, however, tried 
sowing Timothy in the fall on land that had 
borne a crop of winter grain, harvested iu 
July or August, plowed and harrowed and 
the Timothy brushed in. We always got an 
excellent stand of Timothy — and, wc 
thought, enough better stand to pay for 
any loss we might have sustained from not 
sowing again with grain, either in Fall or 
Spring. This, however, depends upon the 
character of the season. 
Now, about sowing Timothy and Clover 
together. Our experience is that if the 
land is to be kept for a meadow, we would 
never sow Timothy with (’lover. Wo would 
rather sow Orchard Crass with Clover, and 
Red Top (if anything) with Timothy. But 
if the object in seeding with Timothy is to 
get: grass for market, we should seed it with 
Timothy alone; for pure. Timothy hay, 
baled, brings, as a rule, a better price in 
market—perhaps not justly, but 111 most 
Cases it actually does. If we mix anything 
with (’lover for meadow, we should sow Or¬ 
chard Crass, because It is tit to cut about 
the same time. 1 f we sowed Timothy alone, 
we should double or treble the quantity of 
seed usually sown with clover. 
But if theobjectof seeding was a pasture, 
wo should not care how much we mixed 
our seed. We should sow the Red and 
White Clovers, Orchard Crass, Timothy 
(which wo do not esteem of much value, 
however, as a pasture grass), Red Top, Blue 
Crass, and as many more varieties as we 
Could obtain that we knew were good forage 
grasses. And we would sow them witli or 
without seeding to grain, according to cir¬ 
cumstance's and the richness and strength 
of our land. 
—--- 
PLOWING UNDER GREEN BUCKWHEAT. 
Long experience and close observation 
have convinced un* that buckwheat is the 
best and cheapest plant known to turn un¬ 
der to enrich the soil. Clover is much bet¬ 
ter to fertilize land than any other crop, 
hut it will not grow in poor land, or if it 
does grow will amount, to a meager crop 
not one-fourth as much as buckwheat—con¬ 
sequently not so profitably adapted to the 
purpose of promoting fertility. Buck¬ 
wheat is only the best crop because there is 
no other plant that will grow so luxuriantly 
on very poor soil. Iu the list, of plants to 
plow under in a green state for manure, be¬ 
sides buck wheat ami clover, we might name 
oats, rye, corn, turnips, &o., any of which 
will answer a good purpose; but nut so re¬ 
liable as the two above named, owing to the 
superabundant saccharine matter they con¬ 
tain, which is apt in certain Stages of 
growth, and the circumstance of too much 
moisture or coldness of the earth when 
plowed under, to make the land sour and do 
more harm than good. 
My plan would be to plow and harrow 
the land line and mellow, then saturate tin; 
buckwheat seed with stale, chamber-lye or 
greasy pickle from the mackerel barrel, then 
dry with hickory ashes, a peek or a half¬ 
bushel to every bushel or buckwheat, which 
will be pabulum to the infant germ, direct¬ 
ly in contact to give it a vigorous start. Af¬ 
ter the buckwheat is a few inches high sow 
a bushel of gypsum to the acre as lute, m 
the evening as possibly can be sown : or sow 
a compost over it made with slacked lime 
and swamp muck or road scrapings, three 
parts of the earth to one of the lime, either 
of which will make buckwheat grow on poor 
land. In case the soil is very dry at seeding 
lime, it is best not to sow the prepared sect 
in the hot earth in the morning or middle of 
the day, but wait tiU tin; evening and let t 
lie all night, then harrow it and roll t 
with a heavy roller very early hi tin moi 
ing while the soil is wet with dew.—Co/. 
Uermantouui Teleyraph. 
