Grafting. 



GRAPE MANUAL. 



Grafting. 35 



national wealth and prosperity of that part of 

 the world. 



We hope our American readers will excuse 

 these rather lengthy remarks about "grafting 

 in Europe;" but some of them, especially 

 our friends in California, where the European 

 grape forms the main basis of grape culture, 

 will lind them of some practical interest. 



The question of grafting the grape-vine has 

 mau}'^ other points of interest for us, aside 

 from the object of placing a variety which is 

 subject to the Ph3'lloxera beyond the per- 

 nicious influence of this insect. Thus an- 

 other object for which grafting is very desir- 

 able is the early testing of new varieties. By 

 grafting on a vigorously bearing vine we will 

 generally obtain bearing wood, and some- 

 times even fruit, the first season. We are 

 also enabled, by grafting, to turn old vigor- 

 ous vines of perhaps some worthless variety 

 to good account, as with a little trouble and 

 care and the loss of only one year we can 

 change them into some choice and valuable 

 variety. Before we enter into the details of 

 the 'modus operandi of grafting, we will first 

 speak of the conditions generally considered 

 essential to the successful performance of tbe 

 operation. 



First. The Stock. Judging from our 

 own experience, we cannot side with those 

 who claim that in all cases the stock and 

 scion should belong to the same class in order 

 to insure perfect success. 



A point which is of far more importance is 

 the perfect health and vigor of the stock. 

 We should never select a sickly or diseased 

 vine, nor one subject to the attacks of the 

 Phylloxera, as a stock to graft upon. Even if 

 the graft should live it will thrive but poorly, 

 unless indeed it belongs to some very vigor- 

 ous variety and is grafted deeply enough 

 below the surface to form its own roots ; 

 these will then support it entirely, and it will 

 soon dissolve its union with the unhealthy 

 stock. But even in this case it will require 

 years to overcome the effects of the uncon- 

 genial partnership. If the object in grafting 

 is to guard a variety subject to the Phyll- 

 oxera against the ravages of this insect, we 

 should select for the stock a vine of a strong 

 and vigorous variety, which possesses recog- 

 nized powers of resistance to the insect. The 

 graft should then be inserted as near the sur- 

 face of the ground as possible, and, where 

 practical)le, even above it. Some have as- 

 serted that the stock and scion should be of 

 varieties as near alike in vigor of growth as 

 possible, but with this we cannot agree. We 

 should invariably prefer to graft a weak 

 grower on a strong one. 



Second. The Scion. This should come 



from a healthy and short-jointed cane of last 

 summer's growth and of moderate size, (a 

 little stouter than an ordinary lead pencil is 

 the thickness that we prefer). It should be 

 cut from the vine before very hard-freezing 

 weather and kept in a cool cellar, either in 

 damp moss, sand or sawdust, or buried in 

 the ground. In case the grafting is to be 

 performed late in spring, the scion may be 

 kept dormant in an ice house. 



In his anotatioiis to the French translator 

 of our last edition, Mr. Champiu remarks: 

 "Grafts and cuttings maybe preserved in- 

 definite^ provided they are protected entirely 

 from air, heat, and especially from humidity. 

 The ej^es or buds are quite similar to grains 

 of seed ; so long as heat or moisture have not 

 caused them to sprout, they preserve their 

 faculties of vegetation." "By placing or 

 stratifying the grape canes in dry, fine sand, 

 and in a cold dry place, they will keep as fresh 

 as on the day they were cut, not only for a sea- 

 son, but from one season to the next. I have 

 grafted on the 2oth of Ma}-, 1884, scions 

 which were cut and stratified since the month 

 of December, 1882, and a large number have 

 taken and grown perfectly." 



Third. When to Graft. The best time, 

 as far as days and months are concerned, 

 varies, of course, with the locality and lati- 

 tude ; but, as a rule, we would state that the 

 vine cannot be grafted with good success, 

 either while the sap is running so freely as to 

 cause the vine when cut to bleed heavil}-, as 

 it is termed,* nor 3'et (except by the process 

 of inarching, of which hereafter) from tlie 

 time in tlie spring, or rather in the early 

 summer, when the young shoots begin to 

 turn hard and fibrous ; this period generally 

 commences about the time of the bloom and 

 lasts until after the fall of the leaf. This 

 reduces the time for successful grafting to 

 two periods, the first one 13'ing between the 

 fall of the leaf and the rising of active circu- 

 lation in the spring, and the second one com- 

 mencing after this exceedingly strong How of 

 sap has abated and lasting until the full de- 

 velopment of the first young growth. 



In the more southern States grafting may 

 be successfullj^ and practically performed 

 during the first period. In fact, the late Dr. 

 A. P. Wylie of Chester, S. C, considered 

 the fall or early winter in that latitude as the 



*Mr. Champin says: "Even at the period when the 

 vine bleeds most profusely under the cut of the knife, 

 and when the flow of the liciuid would thi-eaten to 

 drown or carry off the scion, one can sraft with every 

 chance of success under the following precaution: 

 Cut off the vine to he grafted on a little above the 

 point where the grape is to be inserted and wait until 

 the fountain has ceased running; this flow of sap will 

 cease in a few days, — sometimes it will take several 

 days. When it has stopped freshen the cut a little 

 below the previous one, and one can fit the scion with 

 all confidence of success to the Steele thus prepared. 



