84 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



eye, and applying it at the point of juncture with 

 the stock. The union will be more sure and more 

 perfect than in so long a cleft, and so long an inser- 

 tion, as is described by Chaptal. And yet we can by 

 no means indorse his strong statement, that "the vine 

 is thus grafted with so much facility, and the union be- 

 tween scion and stock is so perfect, that no plant appears 

 more adapted for this mode of propagation." Undoubt- 

 edly there is more truth in this opinion, as applied to 

 sunny France, than to our country and our varieties of 

 the vine. Possibly the vine is not as liable to excessive 

 bleeding from a spring cut in France as with us. They 

 have at least a longer and more favorable season in early 

 spring in which to perform the operation. Whatever 

 may be the reason, it is certainly true, that the result of 

 grafting by the above method has not proved as uniform- 

 ly successful as could be desired ; yet it is oftentimes so 

 desirable to change varieties, that grafting is resorted to, 

 even though but partial success is expected. To avoid 

 the evil of bleeding, Prof. Lindley recommends keeping 

 the scion in a dormant state until the stock has so far 

 developed its shoots and leaves as to be beyond the dan- 

 ger of bleeding. He then recommends the ordinary 

 mode of cleft-grafting the branches, using clay around 



