GRAFTING OF THE VINE ABOVE GROUND. 13 



The necessity, in order to make a success of the Salgues 

 method, of choosing stocks well in sap, and young shoots for 

 selecting the buds, indicates the time at which this opera- 

 tion should be performed ; and May, June, and July are the 

 most favorable months.* 



The Salgues graft may be performed on mother-stocks of 

 American vines throughout the summer, as the shoots develop. 



The graft is then made with what is known as a dormant 

 eye. If we desire the graft to throw a shoot right off we 

 should pinch the stem over it ; but it has been proved in 

 practice that grafts made with growing eyes are inferior to 

 those with dormant eyes. 



It is necessary to tie the grafted shoots to a stake, as re- 

 sults from our experiments last year. We used the Salgues 

 method and budded dormant eyes, 16 inches apart, on Riparia 

 canes, with the object of obtaining grafted cuttings, which 

 would have been eligible for planting out during the follow- 

 ing spring. We made a contract for this operation with 

 a very skilful horticulturist, Mr. Alazard, of Montauban, at 

 the rate of 24s. per 1,000 grafts knitted. Mr. Alazard had 

 previously undertaken, with great success, a similar contract 

 with Mr. Cangardel, of Lot, on American vines trained on 

 wire. At Ondes, the shoots of our Riparias were spreading 

 on the ground ; the result was a failure. Notwithstanding 

 the late season, the same grafts made on the Riparia, but 

 tied up on stakes, had, on the contrary, a much higher pro- 

 portion of takes. The grafts placed too close to the soil dried 

 up on account of the heat rising from it. 



Salgues' method of budding is one of the most interest- 

 ing known it gives perfect knitting, and is at present very 

 generally used. Now viticulturists are not content with the 

 application of this method for green shoots, and they graft 

 green buds on- old wood ; they have even gone further, and 

 grafted on old wood, buds taken from canes stratified in sand 

 for many months, and even then the grafts succeeded. Last 

 year, when on a visit of inspection, we saw remarkable 

 instances of this at Chateau de Croze, belonging to Mr. 

 de Verninac, Member of the Senate. 



BESSON GRAFT. 



As we have seen, the Salgues scion is grafted on the 

 internode of the shoot. The Besson graft, like that of 

 Horvath, is inserted on the node itself. But, while the method 



" About November, December, January, in Victoria. 



