THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 117 



sucks out to the detriment of the vine, while weeds which grow in 

 among the branches of the vines will also seriously interfere with the 

 picking of the grapes. 



Hoeing. Only little manual cultivation is needed. In the spring, 

 after the first plowing and before the buds have started or have grown 

 long enough to interfere with the work, the vines should be hoed. 

 The object of hoeing is to loosen the soil nearest the vines, and to 

 destroy all the weeds which cannot be turned under by the plow, and 

 especially those which grow close to the vines. The best tool for this 

 purpose is the common, heavy hoe with a long handle. A very useful 

 hoe can be made of old shovels which are so worn and broken that 

 they cannot be longer used for digging. The blade of the shovel is 

 fixed to a new handle at a right angle, similar to a hoe handle, while 

 the blade itself is left as it is. Such hoes are very useful in cutting 

 heavy weeds, and work with great facility. Forked hoes are used by 

 many vineyardmen, especially for stirring the hardened crust around 

 the vine, but I believe the common, heavy hoe a more useful instru- 

 ment, and if used in time will make the forked hoe unnecessary. 



Time for Cultivation. Too early plowing or cultivation before the 

 weeds have started is not always desirable, as it prevents the weeds 

 from growing. Such weeds, if turned under, will yearly enrich the 

 land, and in course of time form a heavy and humus-rich top soil, 

 which will serve to keep the moisture in the soil below. I therefore 

 advocate plowing as late as possible. The exact time must be decided 

 for every particular season and for every separate locality, and no 

 general rule can be given. Wet lands should be plowed earlier than 

 dry lands; it is the latter which especially require the green weeds to 

 be turned under, and which will be the most benefited by the accumu- 

 lation of humus. Our vineyardists disregard this fact too much, and 

 are generally too apt to plow their dryest lands first. 



GRAFTING THE MUSCAT ON OTHER STOCKS. 



Time for Grafting Raisin-vines. The best time for grafting grape- 

 vines, as well as for grafting anything else, is when the stock on which 

 we graft has its sap in circulation, and when the scions or cuttings 

 which we are to insert in the stock are yet dormant. This time occurs 

 from the middle of January, when the sap first rises in the old vine, 

 and continues to March or even April, February and March being gen- 

 erally the months best suited to the work. Grafting may also be done 

 in the fall of the year after the grape crop has been gathered, while 

 some growers have best succeeded still earlier, and advocate the month 

 of August as being the most favorable time for this process. The sap 

 at that time ceases flowing, and there is no danger of its being clogged. 

 Grapevines can be grafted at almost any time of the year at which the 

 weather is not too warm, as this will cause the cuttings to bud out 

 before they have joined the stock. If grafting on resistant stocks is 

 desired, the stocks, if small, must first be dug, and the grafting can 

 then be performed in the workshop any time between December and 

 March, the early winter months being preferable. 



