BUDDING ON THE VINE. 



37 



old. If we have to deal with her- 

 baceous shoots, scions may be placed 

 at from 12 to 14 inches apart, in such 

 a way that from a single shoot of 

 Riparia Gloire, for instance, we may, 

 when the pruning season comes, 

 gather a certain number of cuttings, 

 already bearing perfectly-knitted 

 scions far superior to the best 

 English-cleft graft. Certain Riparia 

 mother-plants three years old, dis- 

 budded, stripped, and trellised ou 

 stakes or wires, gave up to 135 

 grafted cuttings, which already have 

 almost completely rooted and bear 

 shoots from 10 to 14 inches in length. 

 This is an important fact considering 

 the dry spring we are having this 

 year. 



Instead of placing buds on a her- 

 baceous shoot, we may also graft 

 rooted stocks from one to three years 

 old, or even cuttings without check- 

 ing their growth in any way, for 

 nothing is suppressed when the 

 grafting is performed (Fig. 48). 



It is in the latter cases more 

 especially that the utility, economy, 

 and security of this method is shown. 

 We say security, because if the graft- 

 ing does not succeed the first time 

 (this can be ascertained ten or fifteen 

 days after grafting) the operation 

 may be repeated on the shoot of the 

 stock, a little above or a little below 

 the point chosen in the first instance. 



If, in these operations, the neces- 

 sary care, as explained bereafter, is 

 taken, we will always find in autumn 

 a larger percentage of strikes than 

 with any other method ; in any case, 

 if the grafts have missed, the stock 

 remains intact, and may be grafted 



Fi s- 48 - 



