THE VINE 233 



the vines must be placed in a position where they can have abundance of heat, 

 moisture, and light. Secure the young shoots to stakes as they grovir. As little 

 fire heat as possible should be used, although it cannot be dispensed with 

 entirely, and the house closed early enough in the afternoon to make the 

 temperature rise to 85 degs. Fahr. 



Towards the end of June the pots will be full of roots : if wanted for 

 summer planting in permanent vineries, the vines will then be ready for that 

 purpose ; if intended for winter planting, they must be grown on in the same 

 pots and ripened in the autumn, as advised for the seedling vine. 



The best time to start this work, in my opinion, is the middle of February. 

 Then the days are longer, the sun is more powerful, and the buds will grow 

 more strongly than if they were started in January. A word as regards the 

 shoots from which the cuttings are obtained. These should be cut off the vines 

 before Christmas if possible, tied in bundles, with the ends inserted in soil, and 

 placed in a cold position until wanted. Better results are obtained from shoots 

 thus retarded than from those cut from the vine just when required and when 

 growth is about to commence. 



By Grafting. — Where many varieties of grapes are grown in one house, it 

 often happens a few years after the vines have been planted that the grower is 

 disappointed with one or more of the varieties, and wishes them changed for 

 more desirable sorts. There are two ways by which this can be accomplished 

 without destroying the vine one wishes to get rid of ; indeed, the vine to be 

 discarded is requisitioned into service. The one is by a term known as 

 " bottle-grafting," and the other by " Inarching." The former is accomplished 

 by grafting the shoot of the new variety on the stem of the vine to be discarded, 

 and is carried out in the following way : — About a foot above the base of the 

 vine a piece, 3 inches long and ^ of an inch deep, should be cut out. Have 

 ready a shoot of the variety you wish to grow ; it should be about a foot 

 long ; in fact, a shoot which is cut off at pruning time in the usual way. 

 Below the second bud from the top of the shoot cut out a piece the same 

 length and depth as cut from the stem ; bring the two cut pieces together, 

 taking care that they fit exactly, and with pieces of raffia tie them 

 together securely, using plenty of raffia so that no part of the grafted stem is 

 exposed to the air. The shoot should be long enough to allow some 6 or 7 

 inches to be free below the point of union, that it may be inserted in a bottle 

 of water. It must be kept in this during the first season's growth, and the 

 water occasionally changed. The best time to carry out this work is a month 

 before the vines are started into growth, and the graft should not be interfered 

 with in any way whatever until towards the end of June, when it must be 

 looked to in case, through the swelling of the grafted parts, the raffia is cutting 

 into the bark ; before the matting is loosened three other ties should be made 

 — one at each end, and one at the middle to make the graft secure. If this is 

 omitted, and the graft separates, then all labour is lost. Therefore, take care 

 that the graft is made secure before the original matting is taken away. If the 

 work has been well and properly carried out as directed, the grafting should 

 prove successful, and the union of the scion and stem securely and permanently 



