GRAFTING THE GRAP. 65 



high or low, square across or at various angles, also 

 make the cleft in it long or short, deep or shallow, also 

 vary the length of the cion, leaving upon it one, two or 

 more buds ; but so long as he keeps within certain limits 

 he will succeed in proportion to the amount of skill 

 brought to bear upon the operation. In the earlier 

 works published on grape culture in this country, as, 

 for instance, those of Adlum, Dufour and Loubat, the 

 descriptions given of grafting the vine were mostly cop- 

 ied from the French authors, and these, in turn, fol- 

 lowed earlier writers, especially Columella, a celebrated 

 Eoman agriculturist, who flourished in the first century 

 of the Christian Era. But Columella refers to still more 

 ancient authors, but claims that a great improvement 

 has been made in grafting vines in his day, and especially 

 in the implements used in the work, and this is about 

 all that we can honestly claim in the way of progress in 

 grafting the grape ; for while our knives, chisels, saws 

 and augurs are probably made after more artistic mod- 

 els, it is doubtful if they are better in material or tem- 

 per than those in use two thousand years ago. 



In mild climates, like those of Southern Europe, 

 California and our Southern States, grafting vines may 

 be done all through the winter months, and if the cions 

 are carefully inserted they will usually become united to 

 the stock by the time the sap begins to flow in spring. 

 This idea of early grafting is a very ancient one, and the 

 first time I had occasion I put it into practice. But our 

 climate here in the North is too severe to risk the cions 

 to exposure during the winter, and to avoid this I 

 adopted the following mode of protection, my first exper- 

 iment extending to only fifteen vines, but every cion 

 united and made a most vigorous growth the following 

 season : 



In the fall after the leaves have fallen, and any time 

 before the ground is frozen, say in October, November 

 5 



