120 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



chisel. If a saw is the tool used, and I prefer it every time, the 

 edges of the old wood should afterwards be pared off smoothly with a 

 sharp knife, so as to leave no rough marks of the teeth of the saw. 

 The stock is split straight across, as in the cleft graft, and one scion is 

 then inserted at each end of the cleft on opposite sides of the stock; 

 or the stock is split on one side only, care being taken that the cleft 

 does not extend across the stump, and in this cleft a scion is carefully 

 fitted as before; or a wedge-shaped piece may be sawed out or cut out 

 of the stock, and of the size that can be fitted by a scion. It makes 

 but little difference what method is used, as with ordinary care and 

 skill the scions will take quite readily. Kven if they should entirely 

 fail, the same stocks may be grafted over next fall or next year, as 

 they keep their vitality almost unimpaired for years after they are cut. 

 It is only necessary to saw them off until fresh wood is reached. 



The next work is to insert the scions. They should never be longer 

 than sufficient to have one eye above the surface of the soil, two or 

 three eyes to the scion being generally enough. The cuttings are first 

 cut in sufficient lengths in the field, or on the spot, and there pared to 

 fit the cleft in the stock. If prepared in the house, they are apt to dry 

 out and become ruined. By keeping them in water they may be kept 

 fresh, but this greatly injures their quality. The best way is to bring 

 the cuttings out to the vineyard wrapped up in wet sacks, and to cut 

 and pare them on the spot where they are to be grafted. With a sharp 

 knife the two opposite sides of the scions are pared off tapering, but 

 not necessarily to a fine point. The scion is then fitted in the cleft, a 

 small wooden wedge being useful for holding the latter open while 

 the scion is fitted. If the stock closes tightly upon the graft, no tying is 

 required, but, if the grip of the stock is not sufficient, tying is needed. 

 Cotton cloth, rnanilla rope or anything that will hold the two together 

 will answer the purpose. The stocks and scions will both dry slightly, 

 and the tying should therefore be secure and tight. 



A piece of bark of the vine is next placed over the cleft, so as to 

 prevent any soil from falling in the cleft, and very careful grafters use 

 a paste made of a mixture of two parts of adobe or clay and one part 

 of cowdung, for covering both the cleft and the sides of the grafts 

 outside of the tying. A stout stake is driven in the ground close to 

 the graft, and the two tied together in order that the graft may not 

 give or be disturbed in the least. The hole is next filled with soil, 

 which should be packed tightly and heaped above the scion, thus 

 forming a small mound above the ground all around the graft. The 

 soil should not be disturbed until the new shoots are well above the 

 ground and have begun to harden their^jvood, at which t ; me the 

 security of the graft is fully assured. One or more of the grafts may 

 be left growing for the first year, and later on all except one graft are 

 cut off so as to give the vine only one trunk. 



In grafting on resistant stocks, the latter generally being smaller 

 then old stocks, a different graft may be used, such as the whip graft. 

 This graft should be above or at least near the top of the ground in 

 order to prevent the scion from taking root, the latter' s roots not being 

 resistant to the phylloxera. Such grafts should be carefully covered 



