CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THUM 



stock to exclude water. Others put a ligature around the split 

 stump, as shown in the engraving. Strips of cotton cloth answer 

 well for this purpose. Tying offers better security from knocking! 

 out the graft with the cultivator. 



In grafting into very tough old stumps, some growers leave a 

 slim wedge of wood in the cleft with the scion to prevent the 

 stock from closing too forcibly upon the scion. 



Side Grafting. Side grafting the vine is commended by some 

 growers. It consists in inserting a graft by a cut into the side of 

 the stock, the method being essentially the same as that employed 

 with fruit trees, as described in Chapter IX, except that in side 

 grafting the vine the top is not amputated, but is allowed to bear 

 its crop and is then removed the following winter. The next 

 summer the scion will bear a crop, and the vine is worked over 

 without cessation in its bearing. 



Herbaceous Grafting. This term is applied to a graft in which 

 the scion of the current season's growth is set by a cleft graft 

 into canes also of the current season's growth, while both scion 

 and cane are elastic, but not too soft. The method has not 

 been usually successful in this State, apparently because of the 

 dryness of the summer air. Still some satisfactory results are 

 reported. Mr. Casalegna of Santa Clara county, whose success 

 with herbaceous buds has been noted, does well also with soft- 

 wood grafting by the whip-graft method. . He says it is most 

 successful in June, provided the scions are hard enough. The 

 pith must be white. In a strong-growing vineyard grafting may 

 be done in July. The leaves are taken off the scions when they 

 are cut. If they are to be used immediately they are placed in 

 water; if to be carried some distance they are placed in a wet 

 sack. Tie the grafts with German knitting yarn, not with raffia. 

 The season for herbaceous grafting will, of course, vary according 

 to the locality. Hot weather immediately following the work is 

 fatal to most of the grafts. If two or three cool days follow the 

 insertion of the scions he obtains an almost perfect stand. 



Care of Scions. Scions should be kept cool and moist enough 

 to prevent drying but not wet enough to cause decay, as has 

 already been described in the keeping of cuttings. 



Time of Grafting. Grafting into old vine stumps is done in 

 February, March and April in different parts of the State, March 

 being the month usually chosen for the work. If a spring graft 

 fails, the stump may be regrafted in August or in the following 

 spring. In regrafting, the stump is cut off again below the pre- 

 vious cleft. The time for the work is when the sap has ceased 

 flowing, usually from the first to the tenth of August. 



