March 18, 1911 



HORTICULTURE 



353 



Fruit and Vegetables Under Glass 



INARCHING AND GRAFTING 



luarehing and grafting are 

 methods of propagation of 

 the vine, apple, pear and 

 other fruit trees, but it is the 

 vine I would refer to now. In- 

 arching seems to be conveyed 

 to the mind at once when 

 Ave think of the vine grow- 

 ing in its wild state with its 

 long trailing stems, inter- 

 twining with each other and 

 being supported by stronger 

 trees. Eods or stems will 

 ■cross each other and with a 

 motion caused by the wind 

 an abrasion of the outer 

 barks results and while the 

 sap is flowing freely a union 

 of the two will often ensue. 

 Much may be learned from 

 this nature lesson and coiip- 

 led with science and skill can 

 be of great help in propa- 

 gating or changing our vines 

 grown under glass. Weakly 

 constitutioned varieties are 

 improved by inarching or 

 grafting on hardier and more 

 vigorous stoelvs. West St. 

 Peters, a variety little known, 

 Avhen put on a robust stock 

 has proved a great success. 



Again, shy bearers can be made sure croppers by giving 

 them another^s roots. Take, for instance, Gros Guil- 

 laume, better known as Barbarossa, (but which is not 



INAKCIUNG. 



A. scion (still supported ou 

 i^s own roots). 



B, stock. 



Tongue graft as it would appear before strings and grafting 

 wax have been applied. (A) Scion in form of a bud. (B) Stock on 

 parent to be clianged. (C) Scion ready for fixing onto stock. 



Barharnssa ; the true liai-barossa is not worth cultiva- 

 tion.) It is described as liaving a reddish color and poor 

 flavor. Gros Guillaiiiiie has been known to only yield a 

 few bunches to a fully developed vine and keep this up 

 for years with apparently no reason, while other rods of 

 the same variety show no trouble whatever. Black Ham- 

 burgh is often used as a stock while Foster's Seedling 

 and l\Iuscat of Alexandria have been used for productive- 

 ness. Experiments have been made by double grafting, 

 as is the case with some apples and pears, but no reliable 

 line has been secured. 



Another advantage of inarching is that there is no 

 necessity to lose a crop. An eye can be put on and the 

 growth run up beside the old rod as it carries its crop, 

 taking this latter out when pruning next season, and 

 leaving the new variety to take its place. Along through 

 March is the best time to do this work, as the conditions 

 are generally suitable. It is necessary that five or six 

 leaves be fully expanded to draw the sap up to the scion 

 and also to pass off any excess through the spores or 

 stomata of the leaves. Loss of vitality through bleeding 

 is thus nullified and a speedy union is efEected. The 

 scion can take the form of a vine in a pot, easily placed 

 in position on a lateral which was saved at pruning and 

 has been stored away in a cool moist place. This latter 

 can have its base end inserted in a bottle filled with 

 water, — a few pieces of charcoal being put in to keep it 

 sweet — and suspended in the required position. The 

 scion should be kept in the same house as the stock for 

 a few days before operating, to cause a little excitement, 

 making the bud ready to take up the sap. One method 

 is to cut both scion and stock on the side as you would 

 for an eye-graft, seeing that both fit the other and the 

 different tissues of both come together, binding them up 

 tightly with raffia and covering over with grafting wax. 

 Stop the growth baelv to four or five leaves, which throws 

 the sap back into the scion bud. The better method is 

 to put a tongue into it. A union is formed quicker and 

 better and in six weeks it should be ready to be cut away 

 from the parent. This should be done gradually, first 

 loosening the strings to allow the wood to swell and later 

 cutting one half of the stem away at one time. Grafting 

 is similar but it does not give the scion any support. 

 Should a variety be needed on different roots it can be 

 grafted in a pot and grown on a season before planting. 

 Where an eye has been accidentally rubbed out of a spur, 

 a bud can be put in close to this to take its place. 



THINNING GRAPES 



This is a tedious job, requiring a steady hand and good 

 eye. Looking at a bunch which has just been thinned 

 one would imagine in the majority of cases that it would 

 never fill up, as apparently not enough berries are left, 

 but after a few weeks a different opinion is forthcoming. 

 Much depends on the variety one is working as to how 

 many berries should be left. The size of the full grown 

 berry must always be borne in mind and after a little 

 practice this will seem to present itself to the mind's eye. 

 Such large-berried varieties as Gros Colman, Gros Maroc 

 and Princess of Wales will need a much more severe 

 thinning than smaller-berried ones, as Black Hamburgh, 

 Foster's Seedling and Buckland's Sweetwater. Muscats 

 are in a class by themselves. It is advisable to go over 

 each bunch twice, leaving an interval of ten or fifteen 

 days between. This allows of leaving two or more ber- 

 ries, should the required one be doubtful. 



To commence, tie up any heavy shoulders to the sup- 

 ports above. This allows berries to be left on the under 

 side. Start by taking off the surplus berries from the 

 bottom of the bunch and work up. Always leave the 

 extreme end berries which helps to enlarge the bunch 



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