RESISTANT VINEYARDS GRAFTING, PLANTING, CULTIVATION. 95 



medium size, firm, with small, light-colored pith and short to medium 

 joints. Very large or very small cuttings do not give the largest per- 

 centage of successful unions, nor the best vines. The best size is about 

 one third of an inch in diameter, though this will vary somewhat 

 according to the variety of vine. Any cuttings under one quarter of 

 an inch or over one half an inch in diameter should not be used. If 

 this rule is adopted, all buds from the thick base of the cane which 

 are apt to give unfruitful vines, and all buds from the tip of the cane 

 which are apt to be immature and to give weak vines, will be eliminated. 



The choice of cuttings for stocks is almost equally Important. All 

 the precautions regarding the health and maturity of the cuttings and 

 of the vines from which they come apply equally in this case. The 

 most important point to be observed, however, is that they are unmixed 

 and true to name. If there is a slight mixture of varieties in the scion 

 cuttings the error is not quite so serious, as the grapes may be nearly 

 equally valuable, and at worst the vines can be regrafted. If the stocks 

 are mixed, however, there is no easy way of detecting it, and the result 

 will probably be a vineyard of unequal growth, in which many of the 

 vines are unprofitable. 



There is great danger of this mixing of stocks, for many vineyards 

 of mother vines in California are badly mixed with many inferior kinds 

 of Riparia, Rupestris, etc., most of which are valueless as grafting stock. 

 The conditions in France seem to be no better, and the risk of a mixture 

 in imported cuttings is greater than with the home-grown, as we have 

 no opportunity of verifying the mother vines and are quite at the 

 mercy of the nurseryman. 



The size of the stock cuttings must, of course, be the same as that 

 of the scions, as they have to be accurately matched. 



The cuttings should be smooth and straight. Crooks, curved cuttings, 

 with large knots where laterals have been removed, are much more 

 difficult to graft. It is to be desired that some one would make a 

 business of raising mother vines for the production of cuttings for 

 grafting. It would be a profitable crop, and if properly looked after 

 would much improve the quality and lessen the cost of grafted vines. 



Planting and Cultivation of Mother Vines. In planting a vineyard 

 of resistant vines for the production of cuttings to be used for grafting 

 it is important that a suitable soil and location be chosen. In order to 

 produce a large crop of good cuttings the soil should be naturally rich 

 or heavily fertilized. The location should be one in which the wood 

 always ripens early and thoroughly. Spring frosts are almost as 

 unfavorable to the production of good cuttings as of grapes. 



The choice of varieties to plant will depend, of course, on what the 

 market demands. If there should be a falling oft of the demand for 



