RESISTANT VINEYARDS GRAFTING, PLANTING, CULTIVATION. 109 



the knife it is bent over in order to open out the tongue. This very 

 much facilitates the placing together of stock and scion. (See Fig. 7, 

 A 2, 3.) 



The stock and scion are now placed together and, if everything has 

 been done properly, there will be no out surface visible and the 

 extremity of neither stock nor scion will project over the cut surface 

 of the other. (See Fig. 7, A 4.) It is much better that the points 

 should not quite reach the bottom of the cut surface than that they 

 should overlap, as the union will be more complete and the scions will 

 be less liable to throw out roots. If the points do overlap, the over- 

 lapping portion should be cut off, as in the Champin grafts. (See 

 Fig. 7, C.) 



A skillful grafter, by following the above-described method, will 

 make grafts most of which will hold together very firmly. Many of 

 them would fae displaced, however, in subsequent operations, so that 

 it is necessary to tie them. This is done with raffia or waxed string. 

 The only object of the tying is to keep the stock and scion together 

 until they unite by the growth of their own tissues, so that the less 

 material used the better, provided this object is attained. For the 

 formation of healing tissue air is necessary, so that clay, wax, tinfoil, 

 or anything that would exclude the air should not be used. The tying 

 material is passed twice around the point of the scion to hold it down 

 firmly, and then with one or two wide spirals it is carried to the point 

 of the stock, which is fastened firmly with two more turns and the 

 end of the string passed under the last turn. The less string is used 

 the more easily it is removed later in the nursery. (See Fig. 7, A 5 

 and C 5.) 



Untreated raffia should be used for late grafts which are to be 

 planted directly out in the nursery, but if the grafts are to be placed 

 first in a callusing bed it is best to bluestone the raffia in order to 

 prevent rotting before the grafts are planted. This is done by steep- 

 ing the bundles of raffia in a three per cent solution of bluestone for 

 a few hours and then hanging them up to dry. Before using, the 

 raffia should be washed quickly in a stream of water in order to 

 remove the bluestone which has crystallized on the outside and which 

 might corrode the graft. 



Some grafters prefer waxed string for grafting. The string should 

 be strong enough to hold the graft, but thin enough to be broken by 

 hand. No. 18 knitting cotton is a good size. It is waxed by soaking 

 the balls in melted grafting wax for several hours. The string will 

 absorb the wax, and may then be placed on one side until needed. A 

 good wax for this purpose is made by melting together one part of 

 tallow, two parts of beeswax, and three parts of rosin. 



