27G 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Septembeb, 
Abutilon Striatum. 
The Striped Abutilon has long been a favorite 
of ours. It is almost an ever-blooming plant — 
good in the house in winter, and a very con- 
spicuous ornament when planted in the grounds. 
It is a green-house shrub, which will well repay 
any care that may be given it in Winter, and if 
put out of doors and left to itself during the 
Summer, will make a fine growth and give an 
abundance of flowers. One of its best qualities 
is the ease with which it is propagated. Cut- 
tings stuck out anywhere, if not constantly ex- 
posed to the sun, will grow ; they may be pro- 
pagated in quantities by the method recom- 
mended for cuttings iu the August Agriculturist. 
The plant has a striking foliage, somewhat like 
that of the maple. Its flowers are bell-shaped 
and of a yellow color, strongly veined with 
scarlet. The pendulous character of the flowers, 
hanging from long slender foot-stalks, gives them 
a remarkably graceful character. The plant 
bears pruning to any extent, and may be grown 
as a bush, or be trained to suit the fancy of 
the cultivator. We know of no plant that will 
give more satisfaction as a parlor plant, than the 
Abutilon striatum. Our engraving will give a 
good idea of the leaf and flower. The plant 
may be had at the green-houses, and is frequent- 
ly for sale in the N. Y. markets in the Spring. 
Abutilon venosum, and A. insignis, are fine species, 
but they require more care than the striatum. 
«-. » » •— 
Grafting the Grape Vine. 
We mentioned in our last number that a new 
work on grape culture was in preparation by 
Mr. A. S. Fuller of Brooklyn. In looking over 
a portion of the manuscript the following re- 
marks upon grafting the vine, struck us as being 
novel and interesting, and we asked Mr. Ful- 
ler's permission to give them to the public in 
advance of the appearance of his work : 
" The propagation of the Grape vine by graft- 
ing, is probably as old as its cultivation, and 
many of the modes practised at the present 
time, are accurately described in most of the 
ancient works on gardening and agriculture. 
But with all the information which we have 
derived, from both ancient and modern authors, 
it still seems to be generally considered a rather 
difficult if not uncertain method of cultivation. 
On account of the peculiar structure of the 
wood of the vine, a lasting union is seldom ob- 
tained when grafted above ground, and is far 
from being certain, even when grafted below 
the surface by the ordinary method. When 
we compare the benefits to be derived from 
grafting the vine, with grafting the pear, apple, 
etc., it appears to be of little value, because the 
vine may be readily grown from cuttings of 
almost auy portion of the wood, while the lat- 
ter produce roots from cuttings only sparingly, 
even with the greatest care, and under the most 
favorable circumstances, but they may be pro- 
pagated very easily by grafting and budding. 
Thus it appears that nature has provided a way 
for the rapid multiplication of every species and 
variety of plants, but she has left it to man to 
discover the way and means. There are cir- 
cumstances constantly occuring under which it 
would be quite desirable to graft the vines ; for 
instance, when we have a new and valuable 
variety, which we wish to multiply as rapidly 
as possible ; to do this wc must produce wood 
for the purpose, and if we can produce wood 
more rapidly by grafting than by any other 
means at command, then it becomes very im- 
portant to know how to perform the operation 
successfully. There are usually in every garden 
where grapes are grown, inferior varieties which 
it is desirable to exchange for better, and if we 
employ grafting as a method of propagation, 
then these otherwise worthless vines may be- 
FOXLElt'S METHOD OF GEAFTIiNO THE OKAPE. 
come valuable as stocks on which to graft bet- 
ter kinds ; and if by the use of these we can 
make every bud to produce a shoot of from 5 
to 20 feet in a single season, of larger and better 
wood than we can by auy other means, and 
that too without the aid of any artificial heat, 
it becomes very important to know how to do 
it. Sometimes it would be desirable to change 
a whole vineyard from an inferior variety to a 
new and superior one, and if the operation is 
judiciously performed, it can be successfully 
done, but I will consider this further on. The 
time generally selected for grafting the vine, is 
early iu Spring, before the vine starts, or after it 
has started and made a growth of a few inches ; 
both of which I have found highly objection- 
able ; for if grafted early, the operation must 
be performed several weeks before the vine 
starts, so as to allow the graft sufficient time to 
form a union with the stock before the latter 
starts, or else the excessive flow of sap will 
drown the graft. This early grafting is very 
difficult in a northern latitude, where the ground 
thaws out only a very few days before the sap 
begins to flow. It is always desirable to graft 
the grape below ground. If we wait until the 
vine has begun to produce leaves, and the sap 
has thickened and flows less rapidly, then by 
cutting down the vine to receive the graft, wc 
give it a severe check, which often destroys it, 
and if not entirely killed, it is so much injured 
that it does not afford sufficient nourishment to 
the graft to produce a very strong growth. Be- 
sides, if hot, dry weather sets in, the graft is 
almost sure to fail. These are but a few of the 
difficulties that I have had to encounter when 
grafting at these seasons, and in the ordinary 
manner. To avoid them, I have practised with 
perfect success the following method : In the 
Fall, after the leaves have fallen, and any time 
before the ground is frozen, say in October, No- 
vember, or December, varying according to 
latitude, dig away the soil from around the 
stock (which may be of any size, from one half 
inch to two inches in diameter) to the depth of 
4 to C inches ; then cut it off, and split in the 
ordinary manner for cleft grafting ; make the 
graft of one eye with about 4 inches of wood, 
and insert it in the stock, being careful to have 
the inner bark of the stock and graft meet, then 
tie a piece of waxed cloth about it, so as to 
hold the graft in its place, and keep out the 
water; next throw in soil enough to fill up 
around the graft, leaving the bud just above the 
surface ; then put a flower pot (a box will answer 
the purpose) inverted over the graft, as seen in 
the engraving ; then bank up around the flower 
pot to the top, but not over it : now put on some 
straw (a), say 6 inches deep, and cover the earth 
over all. In this manner the graft is perfectly 
protected against the frost, and it has all winter 
to perfect a union with the stock, and by spring 
it is ready to grow. It should not be uncover- 
ed until the cold freezing weather is over. It 
is necessary that a box or flower pot should be 
placed immediately over the graft, so that when 
it is uncovered in spring, the graft will not be 
disturbed by digging down to uncover it. 
Grafts inserted in the Fall, iu this manner, will 
make almost as strong a growth as the original 
vine would have done if it had not been grafted ; 
besides, the operation can be performed at a 
season when there is usually not so much 
business as in Spring, and it requires no more 
skill in its performance than other modes of 
grafting. When the grafts have made one 
season's growth, they may be cut down and 
used for grafts or for cuttings, or they may be 
allowed to remain until next season, and then 
be put down for layers." 
Laterals on Grape Vines. 
Every vineyardist knows that his vines pro- 
duce in Summer what are known as laterals; 
i.e., branches springing from the axils of the 
leaves. If they are allowed to have their own 
way, they sometimes prevent the natural ex- 
tension of the canes, and fill up the trellis with 
a showy but useless mass of wood and leaves. 
To obviate this, some vine-dressers cut out 
or pull off the laterals, and they keep up this 
treatment all Summer long. Is there not a 
serious objection to this? One office of the 
lateral is to elaborate and send down nutriment 
for the infant bud at its base, which bud is de- 
signed to be the fruit bud of the next year. Now, 
if we pull off this lateral, we weaken the bud 
and unfit it for its work the succeeding year ; 
often we cause it to break and send out several 
weak and watery shoots the present year, and 
so spoil it for subsequent use. Instead, there- 
fore, of pulling it off, a better way is to pinch 
off its extremity as soon as it has formed two 
leaves. If it starts after this, nip off its new 
growth, and so keep it in check, but do not al- 
together destroy it. In the Fall cut it off. 
