132 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



If the soil is stony or imperfectly prepared, or if we desire to apply 

 fertilizers, planting with a dibble is impossible. In this case we must 

 dig a hole for each vine. This hole need not be any wider than the 

 spade, but should be at least 4 inches deeper than the bottom of the 

 graft. 



The method of planting is shown in Fig. 25. As soon as the hole is 

 dug, 3 or 4 inches of top soil, mixed with fertilizer if it is used, is placed 

 at the bottom. The vine is then put in a slanting position so that its 

 base is near the middle of the hole and its top against the marker. 

 More top soil is then thrown in until the hole is about half full. The 

 soil is then pressed with the foot firmly around the roots and bottom 

 half of the stock. The hole is then filled with loose soil and the graft 

 well hilled up several inches above the union. The hill should be very 

 broad, in order to prevent drying out. 



With this method of planting great care is necessary to avoid getting 

 any of the unions too deep. If the unions are placed below the surface 

 of the soil the scion will send out roots. If these roots are not removed 

 they will grow large and finally take all the nourishment coming from 

 the leaves. This will result in the starvation and death of the resistant 

 root, and in a few years the vine has nothing but vinifera roots and is 

 as susceptible to injury from phylloxera as if it had never been grafted. 

 If the scion roots are removed twice a year for the first two years 

 and once a year until the vines are seven or eight years old this 

 result may be avoided, and if the work is done promptly and thoroughly 

 few scion roots will be formed after this. To do this properly, how- 

 ever, requires a great deal of careful, conscientious work, which it is 

 difficult to have done on a large scale, and which may be avoided by 

 planting the grafts at the right depth. 



If the unions are placed too high the roots are brought too near the 

 surface and they may dry out before they have time to grow down into 

 the permanently moist soil. As the unions should be well covered 

 with soil to protect them from the sun during the first summer, it is 

 necessary to make very large mounds if the unions are placed very 

 high. 



In general it is found that the most convenient position for the union 

 is about 2 inches above the surface of the ground. This will bring the 

 bottom of the graft 8 inches below the surface with an ordinary 10-inch 

 stock. This is sufficiently deep for all except very dry and open soils, 

 if the grafts are well hilled up after planting. 



In planting with a dibble the planter can estimate the height of the 

 union with sufficient exactness by eye, but when planting in a hole, 

 especially if the surface of the ground is rough or uneven, some kind 

 of guide is necessary. For this purpose a stick 3 feet long and 1 inch 

 in diameter may be used. This stick is laid across the hole, and shows 



