118 GRAPE CULTURE AND 



making the longitudinal cut. The grafter follows, cutting the 

 scions and inserting them. He can carry his tools in a bas- 

 ket, for greater convenience, keeping the scions in a moist 

 cloth, and ought to be the most careful one of the lot, for 

 on him depends the success mostly. A third follows, press- 

 ing moist earth on the top of the stock and around the cut, 

 and then filling up with finely pulverized earth to the top 

 of the scions. If large enough to hold the scions firmly, the 

 stocks need not be tied; if small, they should be; if very 

 large, two scions ought to be inserted, one on each side of 

 the stock. I need hardly mention that care $hould be taken 

 not to move the scion in tying. 



We come now to the second case in point, grafting a 

 young resistant vineyard with non-resistant vines. In this 

 case, we will suppose the vines two or three years old, from 

 half an inch to an inch in diameter. These we can graft 

 above or below the surface, as we may choose. Grafting be- 

 low the surface no doubt will be more successful, as there is 

 not so much danger of drying out. Still this can be over- 

 come in a measure, by making a false surface ; that is, by 

 making a mound of earth above the ground, and around the 

 graft, and there is certainly less danger in removing suckers 

 to disturb the graft, so that, on the whole, the advantages 

 may be evenly balanced. In any case, we select a smooth 

 place for insertion, as before described, and either cleft or 

 splice graft; for larger stocks, I prefer the first, for smaller 

 stocks the latter. If grafting below ground, and a force of 

 six men is at command, they can be utilized as follows: One 

 to dig around the vine, to take away the soil to a smooth 

 place ; another to follow with a sharp pair of pruning shears 

 to cut the stocks horizontally and longitudinally, to receive 

 the graft. If the cut is made somewhat transversely across 

 the fibers, so much the better, as it will increase the chances 

 of a union. This can also be modified by leaving the stock, 



