246 THE NURSERY LIST. 



Grape, continued. 



Seed-grafting is a curious practice, which may be ap- 

 plied to the grape (see page 131). 



There is so much misapprehension respecting the 

 methods and results of the grafting of grapes, that the 

 following directions by the veteran viticulturist, George 

 Husmann, now of Napa, California (as given in Ameri- 

 can Agriculturist, 1896), are here transcribed in full : 



"A good, thin-bladed, sharp knife to cut the cions, a 

 sharp saw to cut off large stocks the smaller ones can 

 be cut with good pruning shears a chisel for grafting 

 having a blade 2> or 3 inches broad in the middle and a 

 wedge on each side [a knife with but a single wedge, as 

 in Figs. 1 20 and 121, will answer the same purpose], a 

 wooden mallet, and a few strings of raffia, or other ban- 

 dage, in case a stock should need tying, which is seldom 

 the case are the implements necessary for grafting. 

 The cions should be of selected wood, the size of a lead- 

 pencil, or somewhat larger, cut some time in winter, tied 

 in bundles, and buried their entire length on the shady 

 side of a building, or under a tree, to keep them dormant. 

 Short-jointed, firm wood is to be preferred. All can be 

 carried in a basket, if one intends to perform the opera- 

 tion alone. If several are to^work together, of course the 

 tools must be divided accordingly. In California we work 

 generally in gangs of three, the first man clearing away 

 the ground from the stock until he comes to a smooth 

 plaqe for inserting the cion, whether this be at the surface 

 or slightly below. The former is preferable if resistant 

 vines are to be grafted with non-resistant cions. He then 

 cuts off the stock horizontally about an inch and a halt 

 above a knot or joint. The next man cuts the cions to a 

 smooth, long, sloping wedge just below a bud [as shown 

 in Fig. 119], then splits the stock, either with pruning 

 shears or chisel, according to its size. If the stock is not 

 more than an inch in diameter, the shears are best, as 

 only one cion is to be inserted. Keep^the blade of the 

 shears on the side where the cion is to join the stock, so 

 as to prevent bruising, and make a long, smooth, sloping 

 cut, a little transversely if possible, as the junction will 

 thereby become all the more perfect. Then push the 

 wedge of the cion firmly down into the cleft, taking care 

 that the inner bark or fiber of stock and cion are well 

 joined, as on this principally depends the success of the 

 operation. To open the cleft, the wedges on the chisel 

 are used if necessary. An expert will depend very little 



