812 FRUIT CULTURE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



harvest of 50 per cent. ; some in the neighborhood of Cognac obtained even 60 and *0 

 per cent ; say 1,500 plants grafted, which will have cost the enormous sum of $2. 

 This is the price of 1,000 slips of Jacquez; with the Solonis, Riparia, Vialla, the price 

 would be a little higher. 



We do not mention here the expense of hand work of grafting, or' the culture of the 

 mirsury slips, etc., for this kind of work can be done in the evening by the fireside, 

 or on rainy days, etc. But these plants will yield some grapes the second year, and 

 a passable harvest the third year. I can mention here a vine at St Merne which has 

 yielded four barrels of wine to the journal at its second leaf. Besides, in the Beaujo- 

 lais they often harvest the second year of planting, always the third ; while the French 

 vines generally produce but at the fifth, sixth, or even the seventh year. Dare we 

 add that the American vines grafted produce a third more than the French vines ; 

 this, however, is the exact truth. 



The grafted slips are, then, a rapid and economical means of reconstructing vine- 

 yards; but they can operate differently and just as economically. Instead of graft- 

 ing the slips on the stalk they can graft on the roots, and so put them in the 

 nursery. The success of the grafting is better and the plants finer. 



Another economical means is good; to put the slips of 45 or 50 centimeters long in 

 a nursery and graft them there the following year, and plant the vines afterwards 

 the second year where the grafting has succeeded. The slips themselves cost from 

 4 to 15 francs per thousand, according to the graft bearers; that is less than the 

 Folle-Blanche, and St. Emilion cost. 



They can also plant the roots, which are grafted where they are at the end of a 

 year from planting. If the grafting succeeds, the vines are thus very vigorous, but in 

 one locality the grafting in place often gives but very insignificant results. 



The cause appears to be the cold and moist climate. The reasons are not very well 

 known, but they can very easily obviate that inconvenience, or at least attenuate its 

 effects. It suffices to make at the same time the grafting takes place a nursery of 

 grafts and soude's with which they can replace all the failures. 



Some graft the roots on table and at once plant in nursery. This is a bad proceed- 

 ing, for it has all the inconveniences of grafting in place and of grafting on table with- 

 out the advantages. They succeed well sometimes, but very rarely. The breaking 

 up of the ground is what costs the dearest. The American vines require a ground 

 well broken up, but when they understand it a hectare of laud can be broken up with 

 a plow for 150 francs ($30) or less. 



Besides, the expense of breaking up of plantation of grafting might be still greater, 

 the two or three harvests that the grafted American vines produce sooner than French 

 vines would more than cover the expense. If we add that they produce more during 

 their duration; and that, thanks to them, the blight is no more to be feared, or at 

 least it will not be very serious. We shall have shown what every one already knows, 

 that if the American vines have some inconveniences, they offer also serious advan- 

 tages. 



Grafting still frightens many: but the school of graftage which will be open three 

 months at Cognac will offer them an opportunity to convince themselves tliat there 

 is nothing in the world so simple or so easy to do. As for the difficulties of the choice 

 in best graft-bearers for a given soil, they are not very great. It is well understood 

 to-day what lands are suitable for the usual graft-bearers; such as Riparia, Solonis, 

 Jacquez, Vialla, York Madeira,' etc. Besides, in many of the lands of the arrondisse- 

 ment all these old vines can give good results. Where the difficulty commences is 

 where the proportion of calcaire becomes considerable; but this is a question we will 

 examine later. Hereafter they can plant without hesitation the American vines in 

 a large part of the arrondissement. We can not give exact figures; but after what 

 I have observed in my voyages for the gratuitous distribution, I believe I am not 

 far from the truth in estimating it as about one-half of the total surface of the arron- 

 di&sement. 



