“This is the manner of inserting the bud:  first make a T-shaped cut in the bark of the stock.  This cut should be made on the north side of the little tree, because it will thus be more sheltered from the sun’s rays.  The cut should not be far from the ground on the main trunk, although it may be at the base of strong shoots.  But make it in the former position for these yearlings.  Then loosen the bark with the flat handle of a regular budding knife.  Not many boys and girls own such knives.  Some of you have scalpels.  The handles of these are flat enough to use.  Again, you could easily whittle a piece of wood thin and flat enough for this work.

“The next question is how to sever a bud from its parent shoot.  Suppose you have chosen a nice full bud.  About a quarter of an inch below the base of the bud start cutting into the wood.  Run the knife up to about one quarter of an inch above the bud.  Do not cut out through to the surface, but rather from the upper surface cut the bark loose and peel this carefully down until you can see the under surface of the bud.  You still have the wood attached to the twig at its upper edge.  If as you look at the under surface of the bud you see that it is hollow, throw the whole thing away.  If it has fibres then it is all right.  The proper layer is left to reunite with the stock.  Now the bud and peeled-off bark may be inserted in the T-shaped slip.  Bind the bud in place with raffia.  Do this raffia bandaging both above and below the slit.

“In about ten days the bandage may come off, for the knitting of fibres is well under way.  Now the top of the little tree should be cut right back to about two inches above the bud, because you wish all the growth to go to the bud.  This is the part of promise to the tree.  All its hope lies in this new bud.

“The best method of increase is that of grafting.  A graft or scion, which is a shoot with two or more buds on it of last year’s growth, is inserted on the stem of another plant called the stock.

“By means of this process of grafting, trees bearing poor fruit are made to bear good fruit.  Wild fruit trees are brought under cultivation, and a given tree may bear several varieties of its given fruit.  For example, I have in mind a tree, the marvel of my childhood, which bore big sour apples, beautiful Gravensteins, and a good quality of Baldwins.  This sort of experimenting with trees is not only as good as a puzzle, but is of great value.  To make a wild apple tree with its gnarly, little sour apples into a really truly, well-behaved tree bearing good fruit is worth while, is it not?  Grafting is not only a method of improvement but of taming stock, which is after all improvement.

“There are certain necessary precautions to take in this operation of grafting; for this, like budding, is a surgical operation.