GRAFTING. 



121 



In this case grafting should be done a month before 

 planting in the nursery, that is to say, in March or April, in 

 the centre of France. Grafts carefully 

 made so as to have their joints perfectly 

 adjusted are not ligatured, and are joined 

 into bundles of ten to fifteen, lightly bound 

 with raffia. These bundles are put in 

 moss in cases in the following way: A 

 layer of damp moss, 3 to 4 inches thick, 

 is put on the bottom of the case ; the 

 bundles are placed on end one against the 

 other separated by a little moss, the sides 

 of the case being also covered with moss. 

 One must be careful not to leave a space 

 allowing desiccation ; finally, a layer ot 

 3 to 4 inches of moss is placed on top 

 of the cuttings.* 



The grafted cuttings should be planted 

 as soon as a few roots have started 

 growing at their base ; at that time the 

 pads of knitting tissues have united and 

 spread over the sections. 



Rougier, who specially studied this 

 method of stratification, points out the following advan- 

 tages : 1st. It dispenses with ligatures ; 2nd. It insures 

 knitting before planting. 



Fig. 103. 

 Sclerotinia Fuckeliana. 



* See an interesting article on this subject by F. Richter in Rioue de Viticulture^ 

 vol. ix., pp. 448-453, 189;\ (Transls.) 



