Feb. 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



29 



For the Western Pomologiet. 



Grafting the Vine. 



-The stock. 

 -The cion. 



From various sources I am asked how I 

 liest succeed in grafting the grape vine ; aud 

 as your new journal will uo doubt fiill into 

 the hands of many who may be benefitted 

 by a repetition, I herewith send it to you. — 

 As early in the spring as the frost is out of 

 the ground, remove the earth two or three 

 inches around the stock, saw off and smooth 

 with a sharp knife. Use a graft with but 

 one eye with a half inch of wood above, 

 and two or three inches below, according to 

 the depth you have cut off yo\ir stock; (as 



I like the eye to 

 come about 

 even with the 

 surface of the 

 ground),w'dge 

 as in the usual 

 way, and cut a 

 corresponding 

 wedge out of 

 your stock, so 

 as to make a 

 nice fit. Lean 

 your graft a 

 little so as to 

 be sure that 

 the sap lines 

 cross each oth- 

 er. I f t h e 

 stock is stiff and holds the graft firmly, all 

 right; if not, tie tightly with waxed twine. 

 Press the soil tightly around the union (use 

 uo cement) up to the eye ; set a little peg in 

 the ground up beside the graft, so as to al- 

 ways know where your graft is, so as not to 

 rub off the eye when taking off the suckers. 

 Cover a few inches with saw du.st or leaf 

 mould, then cover over with straw, or au}' 

 kind of litter that will keep frost out. I 

 have done it in February and in March, aud 

 even as late as April in Penn.sylvauia. — 

 Here, I operate all winter, whenever the 

 ground is open. 



Now, while this has been my most suc- 

 cessful way, I have nevertheless done it 

 when the vines had made several feet of 

 growth, both above aud under ground, but 

 if done above, there must be cement used. — 

 The illustration will assist iu making this 

 plain. 



It puzzles me to know what any one means 

 by digging a vine up that does not please 

 him, and plant another varietj'. Why not 

 graft that variety? I have this day pruned 

 some six or eight varieties that will most 

 likely show fruit next year, that were grafted 

 last March ; whereas to have bought little 

 vines of the same, I might wait two years 

 more ere seeing the fruit. This then, when 

 taking into account that the above varieties 

 never fruited on this side of the Mississippi 

 river, nor will they except on my grounds, 

 will account for my urging this subject of 

 grafting the vine. 

 Quite lately I refused a very liberal offer 



from the far South to go there and graft a 

 whole vineyard, but my health will not per- 

 mit me to spare the time. 



In some future number I may give you 

 the mode of root grafting, whereby every man 

 may grow his own vines easily without the 



aid of glass structures. 



Samuel MrLLEn. 



Bluffton, Mo. 



P. 8. All shoots arising out of the stock 

 must be carefully taken off, or they will 



prevent the force entering the graft. 



♦»-» 



For the Western Pomologiet. 

 A Valuable Seedling Apple— The Miama 

 Black Cap. 



Friend Miller: — I have just received 

 the first number of the Pomologist, and 

 must say that I am well pleased with it. — 

 The fruit growers of the West have long 

 needed a journal devoted to their interests, 

 aud I hope the pomologists of Iowa will 

 contribute their mites toward making this 

 paper interesting and instructive. 



I have been much interested in reading 

 the account in the Pomologist of the new 

 seedling apple, called " 3Ionto Bello," which 

 reminds me of a new seedling that origina- 

 ated in this county (Van Buren) on the farm 

 of James Duifield, Sen. The original tree 

 is dead — having borne itself to death, as I 

 am assured by its owner ; and as a few trees 

 were grafted from it by his son, my attention 

 has frequently been called its excellent 

 qualities. 



The tree is of a spreading habit ; shoots 

 strong; prolific bearer. The fruit is of 

 medium size, conical, deep red, sub-acid, 

 juicy, excellent. Season from December to 

 March. I think this one of the few varie- 

 ties of winter apples that is destined to be 

 entirely succesxful here, for it seems to be, as 

 yet, entirely free from this new and dread- 

 ful disease which has nearly deprived us of 

 many varieties hitherto considered hardy. — 

 I refer to the scab. 



In the proceedings of our State Horticul- 

 tural Society I notice quite a discussion on 

 the propriety of adding the Miami Black- 

 cap Raspberry to our list for trial. I have 

 had this variety under cultivation for several 

 years. With me it is a decided success. It 

 is perfectly hardy, a prodigious grower, aud a 

 most prolific bearer, the fruit growing in 

 great clusters and being of a very large size. 

 Hence it is profitable as a market berry, as it 

 is firm enough to admit of being carried to 

 market without injury. 



Keosauqua, Iowa. 



Ira Phillips. 



Remarks. — Can you not send us a speci- 

 men of the seedling apple referred to? We 

 should like very much to see and taste it, 

 and, if in our estimation worthy of a trial, 

 to make it more generally known through 

 the columns of the Pomologist. 



Every leaf has a bud at its base, and either 

 a bunch of fruit or a tendril opjiosite to it. 



Hints in Grape Growing. — The follow- 

 ing hints in grape culture will do to tie to : 



Vine leaves love the sun, the fruit the 

 shade. 



A tendril is an abortive fruit bunch — a 

 bunch of fruit a productive tendril. 



A bimch of grapes without a healthy leaf 

 opposite, is like a ship at sea without a rud- 

 der — it cant come to port. 



Laterals are like politicians ; if not checked 

 they are the worst of thieves. 



Good grapes are like gold, no one has 

 enough. 



Tlie earliest grape will keep the longest, 

 for that which is fully matured is easily pre- 

 served. 



He who buys the new and untried varie- 

 ties should remember that the seller's maxim 

 is, let the buyer look out for himself 



— Vigorous growth, and great productive- 

 ness, are the antipodes of the vegetable 

 world. 



A little experimenting inclines us to the 

 belief, that you may cut back still closer, — 

 eveu to a straight, single stem three feel iu 

 height. 



We have known apples barrelled and win- 

 ter in barns in Western New York in first- 

 rate condition. Barrelled tight and stored 

 above ground the apple stands a very low 

 temperature. 



GoosBERRY Mildew. — Both plants and 

 soil should be partiall}' shaded. A moist at- 

 mosphere is favorable to the goosberrj'. — • 

 Here lies the secret of success in England 

 with this fruit — a humid atmosphere with- 

 out that brilliancy of sunshine experienced 

 in this country — especially here in the West, 

 remote from sea. It is too generally sup- 

 posed that damp air is a source or cause of 

 mildew. It has been pretty well demon- 

 strated, however, that such is not the case 

 with the goosberry. 



Extra Fine Grapes. — The Oardener's 



Monthly n&ys : "Where extre fine buches 

 grapes of are desired, pinch back the shoot 

 bearing it to about four or five leaves 

 above the bunch. This should not be 

 done indiscriminately with all the 

 bunches. Too much pinching and stop- 

 ping injures the production of good wood 

 for next season. These hints are for ama- 

 teurs, who have a few vines on trellises ; for 

 large vineyard culture, though the same 

 principles hold good so far as they go, they 

 will vary in their application. 



The Hemlock. — It has been truthfully 

 .said that the hemlock is the queen of ever- 

 green trees. Of all the new and rare pines, 

 cypress, &c., that have been introduced, not 

 one can exceed our native hemlock ; indeed 

 few can be compared to it, either in beauty 

 of growth or general usefulness. To the 

 landscape gardener, it is invaluable ; no oth- 

 er* tree can take its place in rounding off 

 groups and defining outlines. It conveys an 

 impression of finish, when properl}' dispos- 

 ed, more effectively than any other of our 

 hardy available evergreens. — Farmer and 

 OardeiuT. 



