AND WINE MAKING. 197 



should be left below the lowest bud. Too much care 

 cannob be exercised in their selection. 



3. In grafting viniferas on resistant stocks, the oper- 

 ation should be performed above ground, at a smooth 

 place nearest or above the surface. This will prevent the 

 graft from forming roots, which would be non-resistant. 

 The ground should be well drawn up around the graft to 

 prevent drying out. 



4. The best time for the operation is when the sap is 

 in rapid motion, which will vary with the locality. If 

 the cions have been kept dormant, it may be performed 

 in California as late as May, but any time in April is 

 preferable. Grafting too early is apt to cause stagnation 

 and souring of sap. 



Having laid down the general principles, the opera- 

 tion itself is next in order.' This is best done after the 

 first plowing, when the soil is turned away from the 

 vines and it can be conveniently divided between three, 

 or even four men. The first clears the earth away from 

 the vine, cuts off the stock with a pair of sharp pruning 

 shears about one or one and a half inches above a joint 

 or node, and if cleft grafting is the mode practiced, he 

 can make the longitudinal cleft or cut, taking care not 

 to bruise the bark on the side where the cion is to be 

 inserted. 



The grafter comes next, with his tools and cions in a 

 basket, and should be the most careful man of all. He 

 needs a sharp, thin-bladed knife to cut the cions to a 

 long, sloping wedge, just below the bud, as already ex- 

 plained in Part I, and if the stocks are too large to be 

 split with shears, a grafting chisel and wooden mallet 

 should be used. Generally these are not necessary in 

 young vineyards. The cion is pushed down firmly into 

 the cleft, and if the stock closes well around it, needs no 

 tying or bandaging. It is wise for the grafter to carry 

 tying material with him, as it will be needed iu occa- 



