March, 1»90. 
ORCHARD 
7t AAAAXAj^*AAAAAAAA N^ 
GARDEN \ 
47 
!>Iartli in the Vineyard. 
Vines that have not yet been pruned 
should be attended to at once. Cuttings of 
hardy hinds may also be made, and the 
sooner this is done the better. Vine-s should 
be grafted before they bleed or it should be 
delayed until after the leaves have expand- 
ed about an inch in diameter, then the sap 
will become thick and gummy and the 
work may then be done. We prefer, how- 
ever, early grafting, just before the vines 
bleed, when the mean temperature of the 
day reaches 52°; then we do the work if the 
ground is not too wet. 
Grafting the grape has been considered 
generally a failure, but if properly done it 
is as successful as other grafting. It is of 
much value to us in changing worthless 
varieties to better kinds as well as in fruit- 
ing and testing new varieties quickly, or 
increasing wood for propagation. Our ex- 
perience has been that the iollowing condi- 
tions are essential to success : First, the 
graft should be of medium size, from about 
one-fourth to three-eighths of an inch in 
diameter, with well-developed buds, not 
less than from six to eight inches in length 
below the upper bud, and as fresh as taken 
from the vine. Secondly, the grafting 
should be done below the surface from six 
to eight inches, corresponding to the length 
of the graft. The object of this deep graft- 
ing is to place the unkn at a point in the 
ground where the moisture is always suffi- 
cient to keep the graft in a growing state, 
for should it become dry or start to grow 
and then dry it would be fatal Thirdly, 
splice graft by cutting the cion or graft 
sloping on one side only, about one inch 
and a half long, and cut a tongue in it ex- 
actly like whip-grafting the apple, then 
take off all the outside bark as far up as 
sloped. Saw off the stock* horizontally 
below the surface at the point to be grafted 
and slope off the side slightly to about one- 
fourth of an inch deep at the top of the 
stock ; take off the outside bark, then cut a 
tongue in the stock with a sharp shoe- 
maker's knife by driving down the knife 
with a light mallet about one inch and a 
half deep, with the grain of the wood. 
Now press firmly a graft on each side of the 
stock and tie with common wrapping twine. 
Finish the job by filling in the soil firmly 
up to the upper bud and then mark it with 
a stake. By this method we grow from 95 
to 98 per cent., while by no other system 
could we grow 40 per cent. 
Ground should be prepared for planting 
by turning over the soil deeply, and the 
vines set deep. For strong growing sorts 
like Concord eight feet by eight apart is the 
proper space, whilst such as Delaware may 
be set six feet by six apart. A high and 
dry location with a southern aspect is the 
best. Remember that the quality of grapes 
is just in proportion to the high tempera- 
ture of the location, which often makes a 
difference of 25 per cent, between two 
points not two miles apart. This often 
causes one to be a success and the other a 
failure, for wine grapes at least, if not for 
market. The propagating bed should be 
well ventilated to keep down fungus, and 
the sand kept always moist. If the sun 
becomes too hot the glass may be washed 
with a mixture of lime and clay, renewed 
as often as tlie rain washes it off. — J. Stay- 
man, M. D. 
Grapes in Central Illinoi*. 
In reading horticultural papers, I notice 
the writers often omit to state the locality 
where their experiments and observations 
were made and thus their otherwise valua- 
ble articles leave the readers indoubt:at least 
I have often found myself in that condition. 
For instance, one party lives south and 
writes about the hardiness of grape vines; 
what he may call very hardy, we here 
in Illinois would call very tender, and the 
same holds good as to soil and latitude. 
The experiments and observations I have 
made were here, about the 40 3 northern lati- 
tude; our soil is a rich prairie loam on clay, 
and sometimes gravelly, subsoil. We had 
some severe winters here, when the ther- 
mometer fell to 30° and sometimes 32° below 
zero. Now a grape vine that will stand 
such freezing, may safely be called very 
hardy or ironclad. 
As a general rule the finer sorts of grapes 
will not endure such hard winters unless 
protected. Among the varieties that will 
stand this climate without protection are 
Telegraph, Jessica, Hartford, Victor, Con- 
cord, Martha, Clinton, Berckmans, Pock- 
lington, Empire State, Mason and Hayes. 
1 can recommend the Telegraph for this and 
similar soils and climate; it is as early as 
Hartford and much better, does not drop 
off nor is it foxy. Champion and Janes- 
ville I have discarded as too poor in quality, 
though they are very hardy. Perkins is 
hardy but too poor and foxy; I prefer Pren- 
tiss but it is not quite as early and needs a 
little protection. Elvira cracks here nearly 
every season and will also rot, which the 
Prentiss and Telegraph do not do. Mar- 
vin's C ntennial is an excellent grape and 
deserves to be better known; it always bears 
full crops and is a long keeper; it is of a fine 
golden color when fully ripe, of medium 
size and ripens with Concord; it succeeds 
well here, neither mildews nor rots with 
me, even iu unfavorable seasons like the one 
past. I have a few seedlings from it grow- 
ing that I am watching with interest. I 
lay it down in winter as I do all the finer 
j sorts and cover them with a little earth; any 
good grape deserves this little trouble, which 
j it will repay a hundred fold. Rogers’ Hy- 
brids will do well here if laid down. 
I have also two seedlings of the Salem, 
crossed with Concord, one of them looks 
like a Concord and is nearly as hardy but 
the fruit is without pulp; with me it mil- 
dews, which the other seedling does' not. 
The latter looks like the Agawam, but is a 
stronger grower and did not mildew the 
past season when the Agawam mildewed 
badly. It also ripens earlier, before Con- 
cord, and hangs on the vine two to three 
months after ripening without shrivelling. 
The color of the berry is dark red, like Aga- 
wam, but is oblong. Messrs. Bush, Son & 
Meissner of Bushberg, Mo., pronounced the 
fruit better than Agawam. 
I wish to state here that I have no plants 
of any kind for sale but when I have I shall 
let the readers know through these columns. 
1 am an amateur and love to make experi- 
ments and will, from time to time, give the 
results of such. Professional grape growers 
have no time for experimenting. I suc- 
ceeded in crossing Berckmans (male) on 
Woodruff’s Red (female) being Aestivallis 
and Labru^ca. This may, in my opinion, 
produce a hardy, red grape of much better 
quality than the Woodruff, as it smells very 
foxy, but noth resist the Phylloxera and are 
free from mildew and rot. I find it interest- 
ing to pick up chance seedlings. About five 
years ago I found one growing near the side- 
walk in our city. I took it up, planted it 
near my house, and it bore this season its 
second crop; it seems to be purely native, 
the leaves resemble the Ca tawba, and it may 
he a seedling of the same, but the fruit re- 
sembles the Brighton or Norfolk and ripens 
with them: unlike the latter, it hung on the 
vine a long time this season, until about the 
first of November, with the same freshness 
of fruit as when first ripe, and it ripens also 
a few second crop bunches. I have not tes- 
ted it as to hardiness as yet, but it does not 
mildew here and may prove a valuable 
grape. — E. F. L.Rautanberg, Logan Co., 111. 
Grafting Grapes Above Ground. 
Not long ago Judge Miller gave his expe- 
rience ingrafting the gra.pe above ground 
and asked if any one else had been success- 
ful. I have succeeded in several instances 
in inarching, but by other methods have 
failed , except in three instances. 
A number of years ago I received some 
vines from Jacob Bommell of Missouri and 
used the wood from same in grafting. An 
Adirondac vine which had ils roots under 
a porch was cut off about one foot from the 
ground and two cions of Amber set in the 
stump. After being well bound with cloth 
and grafting clay a box was placed over 
the stump and filled with earth above the 
graft. One cion took and is now a large, 
healthy vine bearing fruit every year. 
Some three years ago I obtained some 
cions of Moore’s Diamond, and after setting 
all but one in two years Concord stocks I cut 
off a branch of a Muscat Hamburg in our 
grape-house and inserted the graft of Dia- 
mond bv what is known as the ‘* Champin ” 
plan. I bound the graft well with woolen 
yarn and afterward with grafting clay and 
cotton cloth. Took pains to keep the branch 
shaded and the clay damp. The graft took 
and made a fine growth and bore fruit the 
