104 GRAPE Cl'LTVRE AND 



A great deal, however, depends upon the condition of the 

 grafts at the time the operation is performed. When fully 

 dormant, they are of course, slower in coming, but less liable 

 to injury from accidents of season than when somewhat ad- 

 vanced. In the latter case it may happen that moist weather 

 following the grafting will push the buds too fast, before the 

 stock has united sufficiently to fully support their growth, 

 causing the buds to leaf out, and then, for want of proper 

 support, die back to the main stem. From this condition 

 the majority may recover, but & considerable percentage will 

 fail to do so, or put forth but a weakly growth, leaving the 

 grafter to lament a loss of twenty per cent, when, within a 

 week after grafting, it appeared as though not one would fail 

 to grow. If in this case the weather had been less fav- 

 orable to rapid growth that is, dry and cool rather than 

 moist and warm the loss would undoubtedly have 

 been much smaller, as the growth of the scion would then 

 have kept pace with the ability of the stock to supply the sap 

 through a well formed callus. 



While, then, a somewhat advanced condition of the scions 

 a swelling of their buds prior to grafting may result very 

 favorably when the grafting is done late, it involves a risk 

 which is not incurred when they have been kept fully dormant. 



Loss of Stocks from Graft Failures. The grafting of a 

 vine stock, as usually done, is a very severe operation for the 

 plant. Were the graft not inserted so as to afford the stock 

 ready-made buds for leaf-development, a great many of the 

 weaker stocks would never be seen above ground again, as 

 they mostly are through the formation of "adventitious 

 buds," from which "suckers" sprout abundantly. When 

 these suckers are persistently removed to the end of the 

 growing season, very few stocks will retain life enough to 

 sprout the next year. The majority will be killed by the ex- 



