464 Bulletin 77. 



eight or ten inches and the first heavy flow of sap has ceased. 

 The principal objection to this season is the difficulty of obtain- 

 ing suitable cions. These should be cut while perfectly dormant ; 

 they should then be packed in some damp material as sand, saw- 

 dust, moss, etc., and placed in as cool a position as can be found. 

 This is done to retard all growth until the cions are inserted. 

 When the grafting is done in the fall or early spring the wood is 

 in suitable condition for use, and it may be cut as wanted. But 

 for late spring grafting the wood must be cut and stored in an ice 

 house if possible, although open ground in some well shaded spot 

 will also answer fairly well. 



It will be noticed that in the methods of grafting described 

 in the following pages only those are mentioned in which the cut 

 surfaces of the stock are all below the level of the ground. My 

 experience with grafting grapes above ground'-" has been such 

 that I cannot recommend it, except for particular purposes. 

 Much better results are obtained when the cions are inserted low 

 enough so that they may be partially or wholly covered by moist 

 earth. The work is then done under certain disadvantages, but the 

 successes are so much greater that they more than make up for 

 the extra trouble. 



Methods of Grafting. 



On Established Plants. 



No. I. Cleft graft. — This form of graft is generally made by 

 sawing off the vine from three to six inches below the surface of 

 the soil, leaving a stub into which one or two cions may be 

 inserted, as shown in Fig. 2. The saw used should be sharp so 

 that it will work easily and not lacerate the edges of the stub. 

 When much grafting is to be done it might be a matter of econ- 

 omy to have a saw made especially adapted to the purpose. Tlie 

 handle should be on a higher plane than the blade ; this allows 

 the free use of the hands above the ground while the blade is 

 below, near the bottom of the excavation made about the stem of 

 the vine. If a common straight saw is used, the stock must be 



* For an account of some experimenls conducted in iSgt with reference to 

 this point see Garden and Forest, v. p. 498. 



