ON GRAFTING THE VINE. 259 



and which is in every respect worse. I conceived it probable, in the last 

 spring, that the success of the Roman cultivators in grafting their vines 

 might have arisen from the selection of grafts similar to their cuttings ; 

 and the result of the following experiment leads me to believe my conjec- 

 ture to be well founded. I selected three cuttings of the black Hamburgh 

 grape, each having at its base one joint of two years old wood. These 

 were inserted in, or rather fitted to, branches of nearly the same size, 

 but of greater age ; and all succeeded most perfectly. The clay which 

 surrounded the base of the grafts was kept constantly moist ; and the 

 moisture thus supplied to the graft operated very beneficially at least, if 

 it was not essential to the success of the operation. A very skilful 

 gardener in my vicinity, to whom I mentioned my intention of trying the 

 foregoing experiment, was completely successful by a somewhat different 

 method. He used grafts similar to mine ; but his vine grew under the 

 roof of the hot-house, in which situation he found it difficult to attach 

 such a quantity of clay as would supply the requisite degree of moisture 

 to the graft, and he therefore supported a pot under each graft, upon 

 which he raised the mould in heaps sufficiently high to cover the grafts, 

 and supply them with moisture. 



Some very intelligent gardeners have asserted, that they have seen the 

 berries of some of the smaller varieties of grape enlarged by the use of 

 stocks of larger or more luxuriant varieties. 



I possess no information relative to this statement ; and the object of 

 this communication is merely to point out the means by which new 

 varieties may be introduced into the forcing-house without loss of time 

 or produce. 



The grafts which I used consisted of about two inches of old wood, and 

 five of annual wood, by which means the junction of the new and old 

 wood, at which point cuttings most readily emit shoots and receive 

 nutriment, was placed close to the head of the stock, and a single bud 

 only was exposed to vegetate. 



