Grafting. 



GRAPE MANUAL. 



Graftiiu/. 39 



This operatiou is not at 

 all difficult ; but, in order 

 to perform it easily, it re- 

 quires a very sharp knife, 

 ground to a tine edge from 

 the upper side only. 



The graft or scion, 

 which should be selected 

 as nearl}^ as possible cor- 

 responding in size or 

 thickness with the stock, 

 and generally with two 

 eyes, is prepared, split 

 and cut precisely in the 

 same manner as the stock, 

 except onl}^ of course, 

 that the cleft and tongue 

 will be at the lower ex- 

 tremity instead of at the 

 upper. (See g. Fig. oG.) 



In later practice Mr. 

 Champin found it more 

 expedient to reduce some- 

 what the length of the 

 cuts for the clefts and tlie 

 tongues of the stock and 

 scion, making their length 

 about equal to three times 

 their diameter. 



Fipr. 58. 



Having thus prepared both stock and scion, 

 it is a verj- easy matter to unite and adjust 

 them, as shown by Fig. 57, taking care that 

 the bark of both fit together exactly- and 

 snugly, at least on one side. 



The graft is now ready for the tie, which 

 should be of some strong, pliable material. 

 Linden-bass is very good, but any small, 

 strong twine will answer. In France, "Ra- 

 phia," the product of a palm leaf, is used 

 very extensively for this purpose. The tie 

 should be adjusted firmly. 



Fig. 58 shows 

 graft." 



a well-made " Champin- 



It now remains to be covered with a thin 

 but well-applied coating of grafting claj',* 

 and after that will be ready for 

 planting out ; or, if the operation 

 is performed in winter, before the 

 planting season, it may be stored 

 in the cellar, or some other suit- 

 able place, carefull}' packed away 

 in sand or sawdust. 



The operation of grafting upon 

 simple cuttings is performed in 

 precisely the same manner. A 

 grafted cutting is shown in Fig. 59. 

 The grafted cutting should be 

 planted out in nursery rows and 

 grown there for one season before 

 they are set out for permanent vine- 

 yard plantation. This plan is pur- 

 sued on a ver}^ extensive scale in 

 France. 



It may sometimes be desirable 

 to graft on a layered cane ; for in- 

 stance, in filling a vacancy in a 

 vineyard-row, or in cases where no 

 good place can be obtained for 

 inserting a graft at the collar of an 

 old vine to be operated upon ; in 

 such cases a thrifty 

 young cane is graft- 

 ed at some desira- 

 ble point near its 

 end. The graft may 

 be either an ordin- 

 ary cleft -graft, a ||j|\\ 

 common wliip- 

 graft, or a Cliam- 

 pin-graft, or, as the 

 illustration ( Fig. 

 60) shows, a sad- 

 dle-graft. The sad- 

 dle-graft is nothing 

 else than an invert- 

 ed cleft-graft, the 

 cleft being made 

 in the scion, while Fig- 59. 

 the tongue or 

 wedge is cut on the stock. Fig. 60 shows 

 the layered cane and graft, and will make the 

 operation plain to the reader. One great ad- 

 vantage of grafting a layered cane is that the 

 stock is not sacrificed in case the graft should 



*A narrow strip of tin-foil, wound around the graft, 

 makes an excellent sul^stitute for grafting clay or wax. 

 If well put on, it will exclude all air and moisture. Of 

 late years bottle-coi'ks, split from the side to the center 

 and the latter slightly hollowed out, to admit the graft, 

 have come into use. The cork is slipped over the graft 

 and then firmly tied with a couple of light iron wires, 

 thus answering the purposes of both clay and tie. 

 While we have no personal experience with this method, 

 nor any direct reports on ils results, it seems to us that 

 it should be very successful, when used for <rraftinji on 

 small rooted stocks or cuttinixs. The corks all ready 

 prepared are extensively advertised in Fren h Vitl- 

 cultural papers. 



