16 



BUSHBEEG CATALOGUE. 



this we cannot agree. We should invariably 

 prefer to graft a weak grower on a strong one. 



Second. THE SCION. This should be from a 

 healthy and short jointed cane from the last 

 summer's growth, and of moderate size, (a lit- 

 tle stou f er than an ordinary lead pencil is the 

 thickness which we prefer.) It should be cut 

 from the vine before very hard freezing weather, 

 and kept in a cool cellar, either in damp moss, 

 sand, or sawdust, or else buried in the ground. 

 In case the grafting is to be performed late in 

 Spring, the scion may be kept dormant in an 

 ice-house. 



Third. WHEN TO GRAFT. The best time, as 

 far as days and months are concerned, varies of 

 course with the locality and latitude ; but as a 

 rule we would lay down that the vine cannot be 

 grafted with good success, either while the sap 

 is running so freely and liquid as to cause the 

 vine when cut to bleed, as it is termed, nor yet 

 (except by the process of inarching, of which 

 hereafter) from the time when the young shoots 

 in the Spring, or rather early Summer, begin to 

 turn hard and fibrous, which generally com- 

 mences about the time of the bloom, until after 

 the fall of the leaf. This reduces the time for 

 successful grafting to two periods, the first one 

 lying between the fall of the leaf and the rising 

 of active circulation in Spring, and the second 

 one commencing after this exceeding strong 

 flow of sap has abated and lasting until the full 

 development of the first young growth. 



In the more Southern States grafting may be 

 successfully and practically performed during 

 the first period. In fact, Dr. A. P. Wylie of 

 Chester, S. C., that veteran and enthusiastic 

 grape grower, upon whose opinion we lay the 

 highest weight, informs us that the Fall or early 

 Winter is in that latitude the proper time for 

 grafting. Further north, and even in the lati- 

 tude of St. Louis, Fall grafting is not quite as 

 certain, for even when protected by a mulch of 

 straw or leaves the graft is in danger of being 

 thrown out by the heaving of the ground caused 

 by the frost. In this latitude however we often 

 have fine days in February and early in March, 

 when the ground is open and before the active 

 flow of sap has commenced, which should be 

 improved for the operation. Still further North 

 where the ground opens late, and Spring comes 

 in all at once, these days are generally so few 

 that they can seldom be made use of. For these 

 latitudes the best opportunity lies in the second 

 period or during the time the sap has ceased its 

 active flow and exudes from the wound in a 

 gummy state. Some have even claimed good 



success in mid-summer with scions of the same 

 season's growth, but we must confess ourselves 

 as extremely dubious in regard to the success 

 of this. 



We now come to the operation itself. The 

 method most generally applied is cleft grafting. 

 After clearing away the soil around the collar 

 of the stock to be operated upon, to the depth 

 of 3 or 4 inches, select a place below the surface 

 with a smooth exterior around the collar, cut 

 the vine off horizontally just above this place 

 with a fine toothed saw; then split the stock 

 with a common grafting chisel or other sharp 

 instrument, so that the cleft will run down 

 about li or 2 inches. Insert the small end of 

 the grafting chisel or a narrow wedge in the 

 centre of the cleft to keep it open, and then 

 with a very sharp knife, cut your scion, which 

 may be 3 to 4 inches long, and with one or two 

 eyes, to a long wedge shape at the lower end, to 

 fit the cleft, leaving the outer side a trifle 

 thicker than the inner one, and insert it in the 

 cleft, so that the inner bark of both stock and 

 scion make a close fit on each other as much as 

 possible ; then withdraw the wedge in the cen- 

 tre, and the scion will be held firmly in its 

 place by the pressure of the stock. It is not 

 necessary to wrap or tie such grafts, except 

 when the stock is a very light and small one, in 

 which case some bass string or other material 

 should be tightly wound around to bind stock 

 and graft together. If the stock is a large one 

 two scions may be inserted, one on each side. 

 This mode of grafting answers "for stocks vary- 

 ing from one-half to three inches in diameter. 

 To complete the operation, replace the soil, fill- 

 ing it up, so that the upper bud on the scion is 

 level with the surface. A shade placed so as to 

 protect it from the noon-day sun, or a slight 

 mulch, is very desirable. 



Another mode of cleft grafting, which though 

 a little more tedious, is perhaps also that much 

 more certain, is to saw a slit in the stock about 

 one and a half inches deep with a thick bladed 

 or wide set saw, instead of using the chisel. 

 The cleft thus made must be spread open suffi- 

 cient only to receive the scion, which must be 

 cut to fit nicely in the slit with its upper por- 

 tion resting, with a square shoulder each side, on 

 the stock. In this instance we prefer a graft 

 with two buds, the lower one of which should 

 be the point where to cut the shoulders. In 

 other respects the same rules apply to this mode 

 as those given before. The greatest advantage 

 is that we can always make a clean straight 

 cleft, even when the stock is gnarly or twisted. 



