Propagation by Budding.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 189, 29 January 1887, Page 4

Propagation by Budding.

February is the month generally chosen for budding operations, although the best time to bud depends upon the kind of tree to be budded, the locality, and the season. The order followed in budding fruit trees is usually : — Plum, Pear on Pear stocks, Apple, Cherry, Pear on Quince, and Peach. But the safest rule, and indeed the proper one to attend to is to bud when the stock is in a condition to permit of the bark being easily raised from the wood, technically when the bark will " run." In budding as in grafting the union between the bua or graft and the stock is brought about by what isjscientifically known as the cambium, or the matter which is found between the alburnum and inner bark. Whenever the cambium is abundant the bark easily separates from the wood, and when both the stock and the tree from which the bud is taken is in this condition the budding operations will be more certainly successful than at lees favourable periods. Budding operations can begin in New Zealand in J unuary and go on into March. A great deal, as we have said, depends on the season. After a long dry spell such as we have had this year, some gardeners piefer to wait until some rain has fallen before they do their budding. But if the system (which will be explained further on) known in England as American shield budding is practised the effects of hot dry weather aue not of so much consequence The main object of grafting and budding are the game, viz., to propagate a particular variety of fruit, the merits of which we have proved. Another object aimed at in some cases is to obtain yovmg orchard trees which will trait much sooner than those raised from seed. Grafting is practically taking a cutting containing several buds from the tree you w ish to propagate, and planting it upon another tree, with roots already established in the soil, instead of planting the cutting itseK in the soil to make its own roots In budding you take a single bud from the parent-tree and plant it on another tree or stock, where it grows, forcing the roots of the stock to work for its support. When you bud you plant a young tree .is much as you plant, a young strawberry plant Avhen you take runners from an old bed to make' a new one. The stock upon which a graft or bud is planted must belong to the same family as itself, and be more or less closely related, such a=< the pear and the quince, or the peach and the almond and plum. The stocks most u?od perhaps for budding are seedlings of the same kind of fruit as the buds themselves. Apples are budded upon Northern Spy and Majetiu stock* in this country, because these varieties of apple are not subject 10 the American or "woolly" blight ; thus their roots are always healthy, although the top of the tree sprung from the bud of the blighting variety may ue coveted with blight. Although the' l':-s blight there is upon a Uee the better so iong us the roots aie clean, the fniitfulne^ of the tree will not sufler so much.

Selecting the Buds. ' To ensure the buds being of the kind you require take them from fruiting trees The J buds must always bs taken from shoots of this season's growth, and should be plump and \\ ell formed, and they will not reach this condition until the shoot* have ceased to lengthen for the season. Then the buds at the axils of the leaves will swell, and the Btst ones to take for budding are tho^e about midway between the top of the «hoot and the base. The ones near the top ■will be too young and innnatine, while tho^e at the disc aie not bo vigoious and if used are apt to giow out, too horizontally from the stock. Having cut off the shoots fiotn which .you intend to obtain jour bud?, first cut oil the leaves with a sharp knifo, leaving halt the leaf ttdlk upon the stick ot buds These cuttings containing buds may be kept without injury to the Vitality of the buds toi ten daye or longer if they are not allowed to become ! dry.

How to Bud is easily learnt, although nicnt amateurs find grafting an easier operation at first. The best way of learning is to watch an expert buckler at work ; but after a lesson of this kind somo points may be forgotten w hen the no\ ice tries to practice whar he ha* seen, and therefore and article of this kind U useful to remind him of the different steps to be attended to throughout the operation There are several methods of budding, such as square shield -budding, flute or tubebudding, ordinary shield orT-budding, and American shield-budding, What we have .called American shield budding only differs from ordinary shield- budding as generally practised in England in that the slice of wood taken off with the bud when it is cut out, is not removed before inserting the bud \in the stock Downing considers this method far preferable to the other for the American climate where many trees almost mature their growth and h«ve to be budded in the hotest part of the summer. The operation can be performed witl) less skill than is required to rcm.ove the wood from the shield, and the work an be done much, more quickly and with far less risk oi failure. A well-known 'Auckland nurseryman has infoi'ined us that ho uses this method of budding almost entirely, and especially for beginners we should recommend it. For spring budding this is considered the best mode even in England, the eyea selected being those which are likely to push and malice a shoot in the course ot the summer.

The Buddincj Knife, There are different ideas amongst bmlders as to the particular form of knife best adapted for their work. Fig. 1 represents

a knife made with a thin piece of ivory at the end with- which to raise ,the bark of the stock* The ivory, is considered Jess likely to injure the b^rk* than the steel blade, butexpertbuddersusethebiadefreely for the purpose.

Having chosen a suitable spit on the stock, which should be as low down asJ possible, moke a transverse incision (Fig. 2) and

from the middle of this make a longitudina cut downwards. Cut the bud from the shoot by holding the latter in the letthand, and with a scooping cut beginning about half an inch below the bud cut inwards and upwards until under the bud, when incline the edge of the knife outwards till it comes out as far above the bud as it began below- The object is to have the bud as nearly in the middle of the slice or a little nearer thB upper end. In the engraving (Fig 4) the cut has been begun above the bud, but the other way is probably the best Take off as thin a slice of wood as possible in thus cutting out the bud. Then with the ivory point of the budding knife raise the bark of the stock down each side of the perpendicular cut beginning at the corners formed by the liori/.ontal incision (Fig. 3). In doing this do not press the knife or the ivory again&t the stock, but as tar as possible raise the bark by getting the ivory or blade under it as it wero and pulling it from the stock, then running it down the side of tiie cut, always pressing against the inner side of the raised bark. This avoids injury to the cambium, or substance lying between the alburnum and inner bark. When the bark is sufficiently raised to admit the bud, take it by the petiole or leaf stalk and gently inseit it, beginning at the corners of the raised bark under the cross cut and pushing the shield and bud well down into its place until the bud comes a little way below the upper part of the cut (Fig. 5). The bark of the upper end of the shield must then be cut squaro across so as to make it fit close against the horizontal cut on the stock, and the bud i* then ready to be tied. Dsiforent methods of tying buds aie shown in Fig=. (> and 7. The object k to pre^s the parts into clo*e contact without injuring the bark or bud. The material for tying may bejmaltingor worsted Kew Zealand flax, and in tying cate should be taken not to make the bud shift sn as to rub against the tissues underneath, thu»

moie or le=s injuring them. The whole operation rauit be performed quickly, for the cambium or orsranmnjr tissue i- easily injmvd by exposure to the air, which wales it turn brown find form a thin rtiy lilm over the alburnum, -\\hon the bud wonid vciv likely not efieci a union \\ith the stock.

Loo^ino Tin: Bi\*i>-. As soon as it is ascerta ned that the bud has fcMkon, Fay in ten days to a foituight ihe bands should be loosened, for it must he remembered that, the stock is still growing, and would suffer from strangulation if the ligatures were left too long as tieht as when fiisfc put on. If the bud and its bark look shrivelled and the leaf stalk attached .still remains on but dead the bud ha? failed ; hut if the bud look- plump, and the bark bright the leaf stalk having dropped off, the bud has taken all ricrht. Where a bud has failed another may be inseited in the same stock ifiti" still in the propei condition ; otherwise the stock can be grafted instead in the spring 1 . The bud having taken, the tips being ! loosened as required from time to lime, but 1 not removed altogether, nothing further need be done until the spring when the stock above the bud will have to be cut ; away. Till the end of autumn the leaves of the stock will be working awtv. con trihuting to the thickening of the btem and the increase of root.- to the advantage of the bud when it starts into growth the following season. Calm, warm weather is the most favourable for budding operations. Dry weather with strong hot sun is bad, and very rainy weather is apt to spoil the buds if the wet is allowed to penetrate under the bark.