Grafting. 



GRAPE MANUAL. 



Grafting. 33- 



the single Department of Herault alone fur- 

 nished not less than twenty millions of plants 

 and cuttings of lUparia, all to be grafted with 

 the European grape. 



The results obtained by grafting the V. Vini- 

 fera on American roots have generally been 

 found so satisfactory, not only as the means of 

 resisting the Phylloxera, but also as imparting 

 greater vigor and productiveness to the Euro- 

 pean grape, that the practice of grafting on 

 American stocks would probably be continued 

 even if the dreaded Phylloxera were to sud- 

 denly and entirely disappear. Unfortunately, 

 the very reverse, the increase and spread of the 

 insect, is far more probable; and the sooner 

 those grape-growers of southern Europe whose 

 territory is not yet infested by this scourge 

 reconcile themselves to the idea of reconstruct- 

 ing their precious but doomed vineyards by 

 the means of grafting on American Phylloxera- 

 resisting stocks, the better it will be for them. 



We hope our American readers will excuse 

 these rather lengthy remarks about " grafting 

 in Europe"; but some of them, especially our 

 friends in California, where the European grape 

 forms the main basis of grape culture, may find 

 them of some practical interest. 



The question of grafting the grape-vine has 

 many other points of interest for us, aside from 

 the object of placing a variety which is subject 

 to the Phylloxera beyond the pernicious influ- 

 ence of this insect. Thus another object for 

 which grafting is very desirable is the early 

 testing of new varieties. By grafting on a vig- 

 orously bearing vine we will generally obtain 

 bearing wood, and sometimes even fruit, at 

 the first season. We are also enabled, by graft- 

 ing, to turn old vigorous vines of perhaps some 

 worthless variety to good account, as with a 

 little trouble and care and the loss of only one 

 year we can change them into some choice and 

 valuable variety. Before we enter into the de- 

 tails of the modus operandi of grafting, we will 

 first speak of the conditions generally consid- 

 ered essential to the successful performance of 

 the operation. 



First. THE STOCK. Judging from our own 

 experience, we cannot side with those who 

 claim that in all cases the stock and scion 

 should belong to the same class in order to in- 

 sure perfect success. 



A point which is of far more importance is 

 the perfect health and vigor of the stock. We 

 should never select a sickly or diseased vine, 

 nor one subject to the attacks of the Phyllox- 

 era, as a stock to graft upon. Even if the graft 

 should live it will thrive but poorly, unless in- 

 deed it belongs to some very vigorous variety 

 and is grafted deeply enough below the sur- 



face, to form its own roots ; these will then sup- 

 port it entirely, and it will soon dissolve its 

 union with the unhealthy stock. But even in 

 this case it will require years to overcome the 

 effects of the uncongenial partnership. If the 

 object in grafting is to guard a variety subject 

 to the Phylloxera against the ravages of this 

 insect, we should select for the stock a vine of a 

 strong and vigorous variety, which possesses 

 recognized powers of resistance to the insect. 

 The graft should then be inserted as near the 

 surface of the ground as possible, and, where 

 practicable, even above it. Some have asserted 

 that the stock and scion should be of varieties 

 as near alike in vigor of growth as possible, 

 but with this we cannot agree. We should 

 invariably prefer to graft a weak grower on a 

 strong one. 



Second. THE SCION. This should come from 

 a healthy and short-jointed cane of last sum- 

 mer's growth, and of moderate size (a little 

 stouter than an ordinary lead pencil is the 

 thickness that we prefer). It should be cut 

 from the vine before very hard-freezing weath- 

 er, and kept in a cool cellar, either in damp 

 moss, sand, or sawdust, or buried in the ground. 

 In case the grafting is to be performed late in 

 spring, the scion may be kept dormant in an 

 ice-house. 



Third. WHEN TO GRAFT. The best time, as 

 far as days and months are concerned, varies, 

 of course, with the locality and latitude; but, 

 as a rule, we would state that the vine cannot 

 be grafted with good success, either while the 

 sap is running so freely as to cause the vine 

 when cut to bleed heavily, as it is termed, nor 

 yet (except by the process of inarching, of which 

 hereafter) from the time in the spring, or ra- 

 ther in the early summer, when the young 

 shoots begin to turn hard and fibrous ; this pe- 

 riod generally commences about the time of the 

 bloom, and lasts until after the fall of the leaf. 

 This reduces the time for successful grafting to 

 two periods, the first one lying between the fall 

 of the leaf , and the rising of active circulation 

 in the spring, and the second one commencing 

 after this exceedingly strong flow of sap has 

 abated and lasting until the full development 

 of the first young growth. 



In the more southern States grafting may be 

 successfully and practically performed during 

 the first period. In fact, the late Dr. A. P. Wy- 

 lie, of Chester, S. C., considered the fall or early 

 winter, in that latitude, as the proper time for 

 grafting. Farther north, and even in the lati- 

 tude of St. Louis, fall grafting is not quite as 

 certain, for even when protected by a mulch 

 of straw or leaves the graft is in danger of be- 

 ing thrown out by the heaving of the ground 



