124 



THE GENESEE FAKMER. 



GRAFTING THE GRAPE VIlfE. 



How does Mr. Salter retard his grape scions 

 for sraftlng after the leaf has started, as recom- 

 meiided by him in the March number of the 

 Fanner 'i. , , t, t 



It coiUd be done in an ice-house, probably. In 

 fact, I do not see how else. Or does he gratt 

 without retarding the scions ? 



Mr. Samuel Miller, of Lebanon, Pa., recom- 

 mends in the February number of the Cincinatus, 

 grafting the vine at the earliest possible period 

 that the ground can be worked in the spring, and 

 says he has been successful that way, but never in 

 a single instance in the other. 



Mr Waeuen, a successful vine-grower and wine- 

 maker of York, Livingston Co., New York now 

 practices early grafting, as he informs me, although 

 he formerlv recommended late grafting and retard- 

 ing the scions for that purpose. , . , ,, 



Several yeai-s ago, desiring to substitute other 

 sorts for some large Clinton vines, I attempted to 

 graft them, unsuccessfully, late in the spring ; but 

 want of skill and experience were sufficient causes 

 of failure in my case. 



Many farmers have abundance of wild vines on 

 their premises, which, if they could be successfully 

 grafted with superior sorts, would greatly facilitate 

 the growth of scions as it would seem, and Mr. 

 Miller asserts that grape grafts have sometimes 

 grown twenty feet the first season, and are sure to 

 hear a crop the next. His method is to cut off the 

 vine some two inches below the ground, split and 

 graft in the usual way, one bud or two to a graft, 

 Mse no cement, but draw the earth around up to the 

 _ud of the graft ; then cover with leaves or rub- 

 bish to prevent the ground from freezing and 

 lifting it out." 



Mr. Warrex's method, (kindly furnished me by 

 him for insertion in your paper,) is slightly differ- 

 ent, although he says "it is very simple, and if 

 done in season you will not lose one in twenty. 

 Yery early in the spring," he says, "as soon as the 

 frost is out of the ground, before the sap in the 

 vine begins to circulate, I dig the earth a\yay from 

 the body of the vine as low as the roots icill alloic, 

 saw off and split the stub as I would in grafting 

 an apple, insert the cutting like a wedge, have the 

 bark match the same as with any thing else. I pare 

 the cavity lefore inserting the scion. You want to 

 make a very nice joint. For a scion I use a cut- 

 ting of last year's growth, with three or f®ur buds. 

 After the scion or scions are inserted, I bring the 

 earth^mZy around the graft, leaving the top bud 

 of the scion just at the surface, so that if this graft 

 does not grow the cutting will." 



Mr. Miller's reputation as a horticulturist seems 

 to give weight to his opinion, fortified as it is by 

 Mr. Warren's. Having tried it again very rudely 

 this spring, I have endeavored to induce some of 

 my neighbors to to do so also ; but one or two 

 parties are collecting all the spare grape-cuttings 

 in this vincinity so closely to plant, that it is diffi- 

 cult to get many scions to experiment with. 



In grafting old grape-vines, where the stock is 

 large below the surface, why would it not be pre- 

 ferable to graft several portions of the upper stock, 

 and then bury them to the proper depth, and treat 

 it otherwise as in root grafiiug ? It seems to me 



it would, and a portion of my experiment 

 that form. 



About the use of wax or cement, whict 

 Miller especially eschews, but which Mr. Si 

 recommends, T should be glad to glad to hea: 

 Warren's views through your columns, and ^ 

 grafting the stock above ground and then buryi 



Scottmille, K. Y., March 10, 1859. 



Messrs. Editors: — In your March numi 

 notice a valuable article on the "culture o 

 grape" from J*Ir. Salter; and under the hef 

 grafting he advises the operator to make U! 

 " waxed cloth, basswood bark or worsted yarn 

 he will use copper wire, drawn tight and tv 

 with the pinchers, he will probably never 

 use of anv other course of tieing. The best 

 however, 'is to go to the woods and select ] 

 of the roots of the wild grape vine, saw th< 

 pieces of six or eight inches in length, and 

 grafting tie as above recommended, and plant 

 spent hot-bed, or some other good location, 

 number of roots will start ahove the tie, and 

 several feet tlie first year, when, on remova 

 original root may be sawed off just below the 

 I have seen a single graft throw out roots 

 nine to thirteen feet the first season. e. 



Dedham, Mass., 1S59. 



CnCTIMBERS, MELONS, &C. 



Eds. Genesee Farmer.— My garden is arr 

 for the plow, cultivator, horse-hoe, &c.; everj 

 drilled to run north and south. My raethc 

 raising cucumbers, melons, squashes, &c., is i 

 lows : Plant the seeds in inverted sward and 

 close together in the hot-bed, water every ev 

 until the plants are four or five inches high. 

 I choose a rich and sunny part of the gardei 

 plow out furrows a foot deep, and five to eigl 

 apart, as the habits of vines may require, 

 draw in «Hfermented manure from the bare 



wheeled from the horse and cow stable d 



thepreceeding winter— and fill the furrows 

 full ; then cover with the plow and level the 

 with the rake, leaving the soil six inches deei 

 the manure. I then take the sward from th( 

 bed and cut into pieces, leaving three or four ; 

 in each piece, and place them four feet apart 

 the centre of each ridge, for cucumbers, lima 

 and bush squash ; six feet for melons, and eig 

 marrows and S(iuashes. Each hill is then co 

 with a box made of half-inch lumber for the 

 and a pane of glass or oiled cotton laid ov( 

 top. This is the safest remedy for the melon 

 and ensures an early and rapid growth c 

 plant. They require ventilation during the 

 and the boxes must be removed entirely whe 

 weather will permit. Tepid water is used free 

 ly for a week or two, unless there are 

 showers ; then the glass is removed to adm 

 rain when necessary. I use the one-horse 

 vator once or twice a week to keep down 

 and pulverize the soil between the ridges, an 

 hand hoe to loosen the soil around the plants, 

 the vines are vigorous I thin them frequenth 

 cut the tops of the fastest runners so as to eq 

 them, and induce early bearing. With the ; 

 treatment, last year, I raised cucumbers very 



