~90 MANUAL OF MODERN VITICULTURE. 



conditions, which are met with on the canes of old stumps, 

 are important, in so far as their wood is not liable to dry 

 before knitting takes place, or to split when the cleft is 

 made ; the strength of the joint, and, therefore, the knitting, 

 are assured. The canes of young plants are softer, dry 

 easier, and offer less chance of success. 



(b) Best Time to Gather Canes. Experience has proved 

 that to insure the success of this operation the vegetation of 

 the scion must take place later than that of the stock. 

 Knitting can then take place before the leaves have 

 developed sufficiently to evaporate water, and, consequently, 

 desiccate the scion. It is therefore important to gather the 

 canes before the sap has started rising, and to preserve 

 them until the moment of grafting. 



(<?) Preservation of Scions. The conditions for good pre- 

 servation of scions are similar to those indicated for 

 cuttings ; they should be prevented from growing to avoid 

 the above-mentioned dangers. To realize these conditions 

 we may, as is done in the South of France, place them in 

 bundles of 50 in cellars where the temperature remains 

 low, and cover them with almost dry sand (10 per cent, of 

 water only), or again, place them vertically in trenches 3 

 to 4 feet in depth, sunk in. a shed or exposed to the south 

 near a wall, the cuttings being covered with sand first and 

 earth on the top. We must take the same care as with 

 cuttings when removing them from the stratifying beds. 



(d) Means of Ascertaining the Vitality of Scions. Acci- 

 dents may happen which prevent the perfect preservation of 

 canes. It is therefore important to be able to ascertain 

 before the grafting operation if such canes are capable of 

 knitting. The following processes may be used with this 

 object: A section is made through a cane, and if the green 

 layer placed under the bark has become dry and black we 

 may be sure that it has lost all its vitality. But this does 

 not mean that the canes which have remained green are 

 capable of knitting. Under these circumstances, the best 

 means of ascertaining their quality consists (as recom- 

 mended by Louis Vialla) in placing a few canes taken here 

 -and there from the bundle in a bucket of water kept slightly 

 warm for a few days, by exposure to the sun or placing over 

 a range in the kitchen. If the buds swell and open, and if 

 drops of water are seen on the top section of the canes, we 

 may be certain that the wood is in good condition. 



