262 AMERICAN GRAPE GROWING 



raise a supply, and which make the best and most dura- 

 ble tie, or with grape twine. The New Zealand Flax 

 (Pliormium tenax), makes an excellent tie, and can be 

 grown for that purpose in swampy places. The Agricul- 

 tural Department of the State University has sent out 

 quite a number of the plants, and its leaves, torn into 

 strips, make a very strong and flexible material for tieing. 



GRAFTING THE VINES. 



If resistant stocks were planted, they will be strong 

 enough for grafting now. This operation may be com- 

 menced here in February, and carried on into May, pro- 

 vided the cions are kept dormant and in good condition. 

 The common cleft graft, as illustrated in the first part of 

 this book, on page 23, I still consider the simplest, best, 

 and most successful. To do it most conveniently and 

 quickly, however, I think it needs a force of five men, 

 each to do his own particular share of the work. It 

 can best be done after the first hoeing, when the ground 

 can be taken away from the collar of the vine, leaving 

 it ready for the operation. One man now cuts the 

 stocks with sharp pruning shears (page 119), keeping 

 the blade of the shears on the upper side, and cutting 

 square across. The cut should be made at a smooth 

 place, about an inch and a half above a knot or joint, 

 and either at the surface of the ground or just below it. 

 Then make a longitudinal cut in the stock, also with the 

 shears, cutting straight downwards, and also with the 

 blade of the shears kept on top, so as not to bruise the 

 bark. Let another man cut the cions, as figured on page 

 23, making a long, sloping, smooth wedge, thinner on 

 one side than on the other. Hand No. 3 then inserts 

 the cions, which he can do in stocks of that size without 

 a wedge or any other implement, pushing the cion down 



