AND WINE MAKING. 263 



so that it fits nicely the inner bark of the cion to the 

 inner bark of the stock, and on the upper side of the 

 latter. Hand No. 4 follows with tying material; bass- 

 wood bark or rice straw are very suitable, if kept moist. 

 Hand No. 5 follows with a hoe, and pulls fine, pulverized 

 earth around the junction, up to the top of the cion, to 

 keep off the sun and hold the moisture. It will be 

 well to drive a stake on the southwest side of the vine 

 immediately after grafting, say two to three inches from 

 it, to which the young shoots, when they appear, can be 

 tied from time to time during the summer; it will also 

 serve to shade and protect the graft. If suckers of the wild 

 stock appear, they should be rubbed off, taking care not 

 to disturb the cion, and in hoeing and plowing after- 

 wards, the same care should be exercised. After-cultiva- 

 tion is the same as with the other vines. If the graft 

 grows vigorously, it may be pinched when eighteen inches 

 high; this will serve to start the laterals, from which the 

 head of the vine may be formed the next spring, and also 

 to make the vine more stocky and ripen the lower buds. 



In this manner, by dividing the labor, grafting will be 

 performed quicker and better; as each man handles but 

 one tool, and as each of the operations is very simple in- 

 deed, he will soon learn to do his part well, if he has but 

 ordinary intelligence and dexterity. I am sure that five 

 men, thus organized, can easily graft five thousand vines 

 per day, or one thousand each. Of course, care should 

 be taken that the cions are not exposed. They can be 

 carried in a tin can or pail, with the wedge downwards, 

 in moist saw-dust. If everything is done well, ninety per 

 cent, will grow, and the few which fail may be grafted 

 again next season. If any of the stocks are too small, 

 leave them until next season. They should be at least 

 two-thirds of an inch in diameter to graft well, while an 

 inch to an inch and a quarter is a still better size. 



There are a great many other methods, such as the so* 



