VOI-. XVII NO. 4. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



27 



GRAFTING VINES. 1 



The fullowing from a French paper will be found 

 itercsting to lliose engaged in tlie cultivation of j 



16 vine : i 



O-v Graftlng Vines. — A well-planted vinc- 

 ard lusts from fifty to sixty years, often longer, 

 nd during all that time bears well, if proporly at- 

 ended lo.° But it is not in full bearing until the 

 ixth or even the seventh year. This inconve- 

 lirnce, which falls heavy on the planter, is reliev- 

 d by grafting. 



In certain districts of the dppartnients of Bou- 

 hes de Rhone, Gironde, Cole d'Or and L'Yonne, 

 'rafting is much in use and very generally liked. 



Thc''principal aim of grafting is to renew the 

 ine the same season that it meets an injury from 

 i-ost or drought ; or to substitute to a poor plant, a 

 lip of a better quality or different species. Graft- 

 ng, also, as is well known, lias a remarkable pow- 

 .r°of ameliorating the nature of the fruit. It is a 

 rery ancient art ; when applied to the vine it is ea- 

 ;ily done, and its success certain. The sap of the 

 rine ascends by all the capillary vessels indiffer- 

 ently, without any distinction between the liber, 

 :iirtex or wood ; a particular in which it is very 

 iifferent from such plants as have their conduits of 

 .he sap exclusively between the wood and the bark, 

 rhis peculiar contexture of the vine fits it for slit- 

 jrafting through the whole of the wood. It is un- 

 'mportant whether the scion be inserted vertically 

 3T slantwise ; the wood unites to the wood, no 

 matter in what way they are joined. The slit soon 

 fills up, and does not canker as grafted trees usual- 

 ly do. 



Grafting, it must be said, is only applied to thick 

 large vines ; it has been discovered, at least so 

 the°vinegrowers of Marne insist, that it does not 

 agree with slender ones. 

 "Por grafting the vine, the thickest and the stron- 

 gest lateral wood must be taken ; if the cuttings 

 are of thin twigs they will be likely to wither with 

 the sun and wind. The foot or lower part of a 

 cress-shoot, where there are two or three eyes, 

 very close together, is the kind most likely to suc- 

 ceed ; the wood in such a specimen is solid, 

 fibrous, thick ; and the circulation plentiful and free. 

 These grafts must be cut before hard frost, tied in 

 bundles, and put away in a cellar or vault, or un- 

 der loose earth. 



The graft should comprise both yearling and 

 two-year-old wood ; the former should be 8 or 9 

 inches in length, and the latter, which is to form 

 the wedge to be inserted in the root, should be 3 

 or 4 inches in length. 



Before undertaking the operation, the vine should 

 be allowed to exhaust the first access of the sap, 

 which is so overflowiugly abundant in the first fine 

 spring weather; because it is rather distilled wa- 

 ter thlin juice, and the quantity would be likely to 

 drown the grafts. It is therefore more prudent to 

 wait, as is commonly expressed, until the vine has 

 done weeping, and which time the buds are so far 

 evolved aj to show the leaves. 



When speed and economy are to be consulted, 

 two men and a child ten or twelve years of age are 

 necessary. One lays bare the stocks with a hoe 

 to the depth nf sixteen inches, and cleans them 

 sufficiently of the earth around for the ingrafter to 

 work at his ease. One of the workmen saws the 

 stems about six or seven inches below the level of 

 the ground ; while he is thus employed on the first 

 row, the ingrafter shapes his grafts and arranges 

 their., as fast as he fixes them, in a basin, in which 



there is enough of water to cover entirely the 

 wedges or inserting points nf the grafts ; these 

 points must be three or four inches long, and as 

 slender as possible. The sloping of these wedges, 

 in other words their trimming, should commence 

 immediately below the joint or knot by which the 

 two-yoar-old wood is attached to the yearling 

 wood. 



The first row being dug down and sawed, tKe 

 ingrafter, with a very sharp grafting-tool smooths 

 the sawed part of the root, makes tho slit, and in- 

 serts two or three grafts, according to the stre^th 

 of the root, and in such a way as to make the se- 

 parations between the grafts as small as possible. 

 It is even more easy and certain not to insert the 

 third graft until after the ligature has been put on. 

 I The ingrafter is followed by the child who hands 

 I him th'o knife, the grafts, or the strings, or osier, 

 ' as they are wanted. The child carries a basket fill- 

 i cd with short mould. The ligature being tied, the 

 inn-rafter lays on a good handful of the mould from 

 the basket, and fills the hole up with loose earth 

 around, leaving only two eyes of each graft above 

 ground. — After this, there are no precautions ne- 

 cessary, save not to derange the grafts during the 

 tillage necessary in the vineyard. 



The tillage should not be very deep ; nothing 

 more need be done than simply to clear away the 

 weeds by slightly raking the ground. In striving 

 to do more there is a danger of disturbing the new 

 roots that are forming and shooting from the 

 gralts at their insertion. 



Vegetation is not very obvious upon them until 

 the month of July ; but then the shoots sprout with 

 a surprising rapidity ; and if the eyes above ground 

 were really good buds, they will bear grapes which 

 will be ripe in time for the vintage. Large props 

 should not be put down beside the grafts the first 

 year. The purchase they give to the wind causes 

 a shaking of the ground, that puts back the roots. 

 Slender wands a yard long are quite sufficient for 

 props. 



To succeed well in grafting, only such species 

 should be joined, as are analogous in their fruit and 

 the texture of their wood. Those kinds that bear 

 thick strong stems will never thrive on stocks of 

 frail and slender branches ; but those varieties 

 that have long delicate atoms will become more 

 vigorous and productive if grafted on those having 

 a coarser, stronger sort of wood. But the white 

 kind should not be crossed with the red ; the grape 

 only loses by it, if intended lor wine; at least the 

 red grape does. 



There are many species that are ameliorated by 

 grafting, made to bear choicer fruit and also in 

 greater" quantity. And all kinds that will not 

 thrive in the soil, by being inserted into roots that 

 do succeed in it, flourish without difficulty. 



Calm clear weather is the only lime for graft- 

 ing. If a heavy rain takes place after it, there are 

 many chances against its ultimate success. Then 

 the superabundant moisture makes the sap watery, 

 and too thin to cement and agglutinate the scion 

 to its new root. As soon as the grafts do take, 

 they must be freed from the weeds. The topping 

 of shoot also should not be forgotten. 



SEED CORN. 



Now I think of it, r will write you a word on tlio 

 subject of i^eed corn. I happen to think of this 

 subject because I had to buy my seed corn this 

 year at an extravagant price ; and what grieves 

 me worse, it was pr)or. 



Tiiere is nothing scarcely of so much impor- 

 tance as having good seed, especially corn. Some 

 think if it will only coine, ihnt is enough. But 1 

 have seen crib corn and good seed corn planted on 

 the same day, side by side, and the good seed corn 

 came several days sooner, and grew much better 

 when it had come. The crib corn did not all come 

 together, but was slinking along, one plant after 

 another, for several days; and much of it looked 

 ashamed all summer. 



Now all this appears reasonable, when we con- 

 s:d ,'r that a grain of corn contains a young plant 

 whose vitality is very easily destroyed. This 

 young plant is too tender and delicate to stand 

 mucirhard usage without great injury even when 

 it is not killed. We can understand when we 

 set out trees. If, in setting out an apple tree, we 

 should so use it that it could but just make a live 

 of it, we should expect to see the effect of it after- 

 wards. 



Seed corn should be selected with the utmost 

 care. You cannot be too nice. Just remember 

 that you are taking care of youngp/anfs of the ten- 

 deresl species. As soon as the husks begin to 

 turn on the best ears, you should go over the 

 field and select your seed — husk it immediately 

 and braid it, and keep it where it will be dry and 

 cool. Be very careful not to neglect this till frost 

 comes. 



Now I expect all the community will heed this 

 exhortation: but if they don't, you and I, Mr Edi- 

 tor, had better save a heap of seed corn, for our 

 neighbors will be glad to pay us double price for 

 it next spring. 



You may consider the above out of season ; but 

 a great ma'ny, like myself, are suffering by plant- 

 ing boughten seed corn, and I consider the present 

 a good time to call them to repentance for their 

 carelessness and neglect. — Prairie Farmer. 



Cucumbers are a very favorite vegetable among 

 the Persians. An individual will devour a peck at 

 a silling — eating leisurely for hours, until he con- 

 sumes all before him. They often carry a cucum- 

 ber in their hands as a nosegay.— Fun/iera' Gaz. 



Items in Domestic Economy.— Use spirits of tur- 

 pentine to remove grease spots from clothes. It 

 dissolves the grease, and then soap the more easily 

 removes it. Grease may be removed from undyed 

 woollen by a solution of pearlash. 



Lime spots on woollen clothes may be complete- 

 ly removed by strong vinegar. The vinegar effec- 

 tually neutralizes the lime, but does not generally 

 affect the color of the cloth. Dark cloth, the col- 

 or of which has been completely destroyed in spots 

 six inches square, has thus had its original color 

 completely restored. 



The whiteness of ivory -handled knives may be 

 restored by rubbing them with fine sand-paper or 



emery. 



The oftener carpets are shaken, the longer they 

 last, as the particles of sand which collect upon 

 them, grind the threads. Sweeping ihein also 



wears them. 



Dry wood will produce, on a moderate estimate, 

 twice as much heat as the same amount of green 

 wood ; and saves much trouble in kindling fires on 

 cold mornings. To suppose that green wood will 

 actually cause more heat in burning than dry, is 

 as absurd as to suppose a vessel of hot water will 

 freeze sooner than a cold one. — ^Ib. Cult. 



