successfully, though with some difficulty, performed with the buds inverted, the wood cells consisting of even cylindrical tubes, through which the circulation will pass in either direction.

k;

Budding is often called inoculating, but this name seems to have originated in a misconception. Inoculation is, in medical practice, the introduction of a virus into the circulation, which spreads through it. But budding and grafting are the simple planting of a bud or branch cutting in circumstances favorable to its rapid growth and development as a tree. Nothing from it, so far as we know, permeates the system and affects the character of the stock; nor does it receive any appreciable modification in its own essential characteristics from the stock but uniting with it, or living as a parasite upon it, and deriving its nourishment through it, its own inherent force is put forth in the formation of its system of stem, branches, and fruit, the stock also retaining for itself the same distinct individuality, each preserving in undiminished force its peculiar local powers of appropriate secretion and organization, all growth from below the junction being constantly throughout the life of the tree "natural," or of the stock, and all above the junction partaking with equal constancy of the nature of the graft. There is, therefore, no analogy between inoculation and budding, and we retain the latter term. Contrary to the above views, it has been supposed by some that late fruits are materially affected in their period of maturing by being budded or grafted on stocks of early kinds; but if this were so, of which I have failed to find proof, the converse ought also to be true, and our early fruits become belated by grafting upon stocks of later varieties; but almost all apple stocks are raised from kinds comparatively late. Upon these our earliest apple -the little white Early May-has been continuously worked for centuries, and upon this theory it is inconceivable that it should have retained its distinctive character.

It may, perhaps, be regarded as certain that, in general, the stock affects the graft only in two ways: first, by its own hardiness and durability, securing, under proper conditions, continuance to the graft inserted in it; and, second, by the character

of its growth. If this equal or exceed the graft in freedom, healthful vigor of growth in the tree is secured; if it fall much short of the freedom of the graft growth, diseased or morbid action is superinduced, and hence the dwarfing, premature fruiting, and limitation of life.

Fig. 103.

a

b

BUD SCION AND BUDS.

a. Bud scion trimmed for use, and inverted
as it must be held in cutting out the
buds.

b. The bud as cut from the inverted scion,
with the wood in.

c. The bud turned to its natural direction,

with the wood taken out.

The young shoot from which buds and grafts are cut is called a scion, and sometimes the graft itself is improper

ly so called. The bud scion is prepared by trimming off its leaves so far as the buds are full and ripe for use, cutting each leaf stem a quarter or half an inch from the bud, cutting off the butt end of the scion upon which the buds may not be plump, and rejecting at discretion four or six inches of its point, on which the buds, though plump, may not be ripened.

The necessary bandages, which may be prepared from any of the materials named for ties, page 218, should be cut into lengths of from twelve to eighteen inches, and strung to a girdle or through a button-hole, so as to be conveniently out of the way until wanted.

Taking the prepared scion in your left hand, with its point toward you (Fig. 103 a), hold it firmly between your thumb and the second joint of the middle finger, while the point of your extended fore-finger supports and steadies it precisely underneath the bud which you intend to remove.

With your budding-knife, perfectly keen, in your right hand, held firmly by the fingers as when sharpening a lead-pencil, with the right thumb laid, not under, but upon the scion, immediately against the point of the left thumb, stretch the hand until the knife rests flatly upon the scion, half an inch or a little more back of the bud; then entering the edge, carefully and

gradually, with a drawing and perfectly level cut, let it pass under the bud at a depth just sufficient to cut out the bud with its swelling, scarcely scaling the wood, and coming out gradually as it entered, half an inch or more above the point of the bud (Fig. 103 b).

Sometimes the thin scale of wood is taken out from the bud, and the bark only inserted (Fig. 103 c), but this is entirely unnecessary, involving also some difficulty, and risk of spoiling the bud. If done at all, it should be performed by turning the bud into its natural direction, and holding it carefully between the points of the thumb and fore-finger of the left hand, and, loosening the wood from the bark at the upper end with the point of your knife, pass the blade under it, and holding the thin piece of wood firmly by pressing your thumb upon it on the knife, lift it carefully from its place with a slightly turning or rolling motion from one side, and you will probably effect its removal without drawing out the germ of the future tree, which is the danger to be apprehended, and which will almost certainly occur if you begin the removal of the wood at the wrong end.

Fig. 104

STOCKS SUITABLE FOR BUDDING.

Stocks for budding should not, at the largest, be more than three fourths of an inch diameter, nor smaller than, at the least, twice the thickness of the scion from which the bud is taken. A stock is prepared for budding by trimming off all leaves and branches from near the point at which the bud is to be inserted, and generally all below this point, though this last is not essential unless the lower growth be strong, Fig. 104.

STOCKS PREPARED AND BUDDED.

Having cut out the bud as above directed, hold it for a moment edgewise between your lips, and with your knife, held lightly by your thumb and finger points, make a cross cut just in the clear spot chosen for inserting the bud, through the

Fig. 105.

b

a. The stock prepared for receiving the bud.
b. The stock, with the bud inserted and shortened.
c. The stock, with the bud inserted and bound.

bark, about half an inch or less long; then, turning your knife point downward, with your right fore-finger pressing upon the back of the blade, the handle being held firmly between the thumb and middle finger, make a straight, clean slit from an inch below upward to the cross cut, forming a T. When at the cross cut, and before withdrawing the knife, rack it once from side to side, so as with the edge to loosen and slightly open the bark at that point (Fig. 105 a); quickly turning the knife handle down, and holding it as a pen is held in writing, pass the square corner of the bone handle carefully under each edge of the slit, opening it just enough to admit the bud, and no more; then, having inserted this, slip it down toward the bottom of the slit so far as to make it sit firmly in its place, using for this purpose either the finger laid upon the piece of leafstem and the bud, or the dull notch intended for that purpose at the opposite corner of the handle (see p. 211). If the upper end of the bark of the bud extend at all above the cross cut, take it off by passing the knife once more along the cross line, so that it will set in nicely (Fig. 105 6). Then tie it carefully

and tightly, beginning at the bottom, and taking special care

that in starting to wrap it you do not also press the bud upward out of place, and as you proceed in the binding, use a gentle pressure upon it to make it fit its place, leaving only the short leaf-stem and point of the bud uncovered by the bandage (Fig. 105 c). Or two bands may be used, beginning with one immediately above the bud, and wrapping upward, and the other just below and on the swell of the bud, and winding downward, the latter only being loosened or removed at the first afterdressing of the bud. This, however, like too early budding, is apt to start the young bud in the fall, which, when occurring from any cause, is injurious, increasing the labor of tending, generally resulting in the production of a feebler growth than if the bud had lain dormant until spring, and almost uniformly rendering the tree more or less unsightly at the point of junction of the bud and stock.

a

Fig. 106.

ANNULAR BUDDING.

ANNULAR BUDDING is performed by cutting, or rather peeling, a ring of bark about half an inch wide from the stock (Fig. 106 a), and a corresponding ring, containing a bud, from a scion of equal size, or a little larger (Fig. 106 b), and fitting the latter neatly in the place of the former, shortening it if its girth be greater than necessary, and binding it carefully and firmly. b. The bud-ring prepared This mode of budding is peculiarly suited to trees having thick, rigid bark, and is

a. The stock prepared for annular budding.

to fit the stock.

rarely used.

TIME OF BUDDING.

All budding may be performed in the fall. Fruit-trees and some fancy forest trees are usually budded in July and August, beginning with pear and cherry, then plum, orange, rose, apple, and peach, the latter being sometimes postponed to September. The time, however, will vary with locality, it being always advisable to bud as late as may be possible consistent with the easy and successful setting of the bud, so that