THE ART OF BUDDING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 73, 19 December 1907, Page 4

THE ART OF BUDDING.

HOW THE OPERATION IS PERFORMED. Budding may bo performed, at any tjme during i.lho growing season- while buds aro obtainable. But in ,New Zealand.the operation is 'usually ''delayed till ;the;'..end of Jannary/or carly'-iit Februaryy-ln order that the bads' may not be pushed into growth to make r a feeble shoot tho first season. , In view of.\the approach, of ;,tho'-budding season we give: the rollowing description of .theprocess,; writton 'by John Osborh, jun"., for' the Tasmanian- Government's "Agricultural ( ,;...\ ■-.. ' ■: ..-. ■ .' ■ . ." _"Biidding is 4se operation by which'a'bud; with a portion or bark, is taken from a tree or plant'and inserted boneaj-h, the baric, of another\.trce W ln'.thqVcaso' of young or' beneath" tKo bort'of'-'tlie'-' same tree. This is, at .necessary, aV somo pacts of the treo may fail to'produce, branches, The main principle of budding is; the same ■ as in grafting. Tho uriion iii. effected by means of the organisable matter, tho eariibnim, which is found between t-ii'e' alburnnm and the'inner bark; end the sue-, cess of .tile operation depends upon the abun-; , d.incfi of'.that matter boing such as to. permit of tho'bark lifted from tlio' wood.. ...\yhen.'-b&th striT th'o tree from whichjthe bud;'is';tak'en;':;are- in; that, cohditibni which is usually during the earlier part of December, and often, continues ..till, the middle or ond of the. Jlarch..following," especially if there is a 'moist summer, the union iS most readily effected. There" are periods when the flow of sap is checked, and then the bark is held dose to the'wood'(this will be noticed, during a dry spell). At such times budding should iio't : bo attempted'. Still," warm, riioist weather is tho most suitable; very dry, weather with a fiery sun is likely to kill the buds if not jft-otected. Irrigation,' with the water at a fairly fiVen temperaturo, assists, tli.o union materially, in a-.dry season. Rainy weather is injurious,, for A when water gets into the wound it decomposes the sap, and organisation cannot proceed so as to form a union. There aro several modes of performing the oporatioii, but shield or T budding is the method generally adopted, ithaviiiß been proved to be tho triost successful. When operating, tho shoot containing the huds to be used should be taken off, and tho heels placed in a little clean, fresh water till the stocks.are ready for,working. A ent tho tho stock \ largo enough :.;t'p/'Admit' the ■bud. ' A ; . hiicl is then taken out;'pfithe"'shoot, by. inserting the knife about inch ,ahove : the"bud.. The cut should beVmatle'so that tho bud _is in the centre 'of ; tho shield,''the shield being from a,;quarter to half an inch wido at off.,to;,a 'poiiit-attho lowest ond. The,petiole;' of. leaf-stalk,''is'cut through at half''jts',length;..arid' the .biid'inserted by holding""the"'petiole or' leaf-stalk between, the thumb and finger and inserting the point r of .the bud at.tlie .top ..of the, T,; pushing gently while till the whole of the bud is under the bark of the stock. The petiole is then ' righted,' till it ia in th'o

centre of tho T, and the binding may bo put ■oh, a soft twine being used, and not tied too tightly,/for it is essential that a free circulation at-: sap. 'should continue. In taking the wood .out'of tho shield, caro should bo taken ;S0 tlrcit tho base of the bud, or, as some call .it, tihe"" core," is not removed. If this -shouli.l come away, leaving a hole at tho base of tho bud, it will not succeed, and another bud must be chosen.' The baso of tho bud is of a greenish colour, and of a pulpy nature, for it, is the commencement of what'is called the .medullary sheath, the upper part of '.which is the eye or growing-point of the bud. ■If, tho;: i .\v.o.od.',.comes .oUtiiClean, with the ex-. ■;cepti<ai;;of,n; few.woody;.fibres adhering to tho •lyase- .bud, it'jthe- bud) , is ready l for .insertion. ;-:Tlie; operation,.' to be done well, ;slioulo:;"be, 'done, quickly,-for the organising, •tissTO.'is.-.very ■delicate,' and soon becomes vitiated or. 'spoilt 'if. exposed to the air for 'ajjy;J(aigth. ; 6f.;tinip.,. .This will be 'seen if tho operaibr will take the trouble to notico the effect of exposing the wound to tho air. The cambiiun will become quite brown, and in a short time a thin layer of bark will bo formed, and, although this, may protect fresh itissue that is_ formed ■'..muler it, yet it can never unite with living'oissue placed in contact with it. In the course of' two or three weeks it will be seen whether the buds havo itaken:' If the petiole on.being touched drops off readily, it is, a sign that the • Bud' has t'ukdn; on the contrary, if the petiole withers or shrivels, it. is an indication that the bud is dead or dying. ; As soon as it is known that ;tlie. I .'biitl3' have: taken,! .the tics should bo !ta,b.s&>!n'eil,'or but, and tlie b'uds'seen to occasionally, and in about six weeks from the jtiino of/budding they may bo removed alto■hogethcr.-■■ ■■When- thebud begins to show ;sigii3 of! pushing, .if necessary, the stock may 'bVctit 'back to within half an -inch of tho ;top ( of the shield. It. will then begin to |,grow, jind in tho course .of tho summer a 1 -nicffi-trco will.be-the result. On tho other liand,\'-if. the^bud , is. dormant till the winter pruning, tiio heading back may be loft till that -tiico. If the budding is done in December, the bad is better to bo pushed right away, and Ino time is lost; but if the biidding is nqfj, doiic till late in tho summer, it will bq- better'to; leave tho bud dormant till tho'spring; i V/hen a vigorous' shoot may bo looktd; for." i-■ \. -.' ,