RESISTANT VINEYARDS GRAFTING, PLANTING, CULTIVATION. 119 



heavily fertilized soil of the best mechanical texture it might be 

 possible to obtain good results at 2 inches, but in many soils it is 

 necessary to place them 4 inches to get good, well-grown plants. 



The number of grafts to the acre and the space given to each is 

 shown in the following table : 



Space Between 



Vines. 



2 inches 



2 inches 



3 inches 



3 inches 



4 inches 

 4 inches 



Rows. 



36 inches 

 48 inches 

 36 inches 

 48 inches 

 36 inches 

 48 inches 



Number of Grafts 

 per Acre. 



87,120 

 65,340 

 58,080 

 43,560 

 43,560 

 32,670 



Number of Square Inches 

 per Graft. 



72 

 96 

 108 

 144 

 144 

 192 



The grafts may be planted in a trench made with a spade. It is 

 more economical and better, however, if the soil is of good texture, 

 properly prepared and free from stones, to plant them with a dibble. 

 Whichever way is adopted it is essential that the greatest regularity 

 should be maintained in the alignment of the rows and in the depth 

 of the planting. 



Before planting with a dibble some form of scraper should be used 

 which will make a shallow ditch from 12 to 18 inches wide and about 

 2 inches deep, perfectly smooth and level at the bottom. A line is 

 then stretched taut about 1 inch to one side of where the row is to 

 be and 2 inches above the bottom of the ditch. The grafts are then 

 planted with the dibble, being put down to such a depth that the 

 top bud comes exactly even with the taut line. 



Two of the best forms of nursery dibbles are shown in Fig. 18. The 

 first, a, consists of a piece of round %-inch iron, IS inches long, 

 furnished with a wooden handle at one end and a curved double 

 point with a V-shaped cleft at the other. The bottom node of the 

 stock is caught in the cleft and the graft forced down to the desired 

 depth. Unless the ground is very light the other form of dibble is 

 preferable. 



The other dibble, b, consists of a sword-shaped piece of iron 18 

 to 20 inches long and 2 inches wide, furnished also with a handle. 

 The usual way of using it is to press it into the ground to the desired 

 depth, open the hole a little with a lateral thrust, withdraw it and 

 insert the graft. The dibble is then pushed into the ground again 

 at about an inch to one side of the graft and by another lateral 

 thrust the earth is pressed tightly around the graft. This takes 

 more time than is necessary with the other form of dibble, and unless 

 done carefully there is danger of failing to make the soil close around 



