88 Vineyard Culture. 



tent in our country, but not for the object cited in the text. 

 We graft simply to change an unprofitable vine to a good one, 

 or for the sake of multiplying a new sort, and putting our- 

 selves at once in possession of strong bearing wood of a new 

 or desired variety. In this manner a worthless wild vine may 

 be at once transformed into one that will be profitable with 

 its heavy produce of desirable fruit ; for such a stock will 

 force out strong bearing canes for the next year; and, indeed, 

 there will often be some fruit the first summer of grafting, if 

 the scion have been selected from fruitful wood. 



When the object is simply to multiply vines of any given 

 variety, for home planting, or for sale, small, well rooted 

 plants are often selected yearlings or two-year olds. These 

 may be grafted in the house, by the cleft or splice method, 

 tied or waxed, and the vines can be planted in a nursery, or 

 set at once in their permanent stations. I have had excellent 

 success by using pieces of roots, taken from the wild vines 

 that are to be found in an old, neglected fence-row. The 

 underground stems, and the roots, were cut into lengths of ten 

 to twelve inches, and cleft-grafted, tied, and planted at once. 



The experience of the practice of this operation upon the 

 vine has been exceedingly varied. Some have been perfectly 

 successful, while others have been almost always unfortunate; 

 and those who may have had all their grafts do well one year, 

 have lost them all the next. Some advise grafting very early, 

 and others prefer waiting until the development of the young 

 leaves on the vine, keeping the scions back by preserving them 

 in the ice-house. 



Mr. Fuller, who claims to have been very successful in 

 grafting the vine, recommends doing it in the autumn, or early 

 winter. He excavates the earth, exposing the stock below 

 the surface, and after grafting in the usual cleft method, he 

 protects the graft from the action of the frost, by filling the 

 earth about it, and then covering with an inverted flower-pot, 



