28 
c 
ORCHARD 
s.WVSWWA'V 
GARDEN 
February, 1891. 
February Operations. 
This and the next are the two months in 
this latitude when most of the pruning 
must be done. Every mild day when the 
vines are not frozen we may prune and 
make cuttings. In pruning there should 
be an object in view as well as a system. 
Pruning should be such as to adapt the vine 
to some particular method of training, 
either on stakes, trellis or arbor. If on 
stakes adopt the renewal system and select 
canes as low down as possible, and not more 
than two canes to full bearing vines, like 
Concord about four feet long, and for such 
as Delaware, not more than one cane about 
two feet long. This stake method has but 
one advantage over any other : we can 
plow and cultivate both ways and keep the 
ground clean with less hoeing. It is, how- 
ever, not as good as a trellis, neither is it as 
convenient for tying and distributing the 
wood. In pruning for a trellis the vine 
should be pruned so that two canes will 
start from the main stock about as high as 
the lower wire, then train one cane each 
way on the lower wire. This wire should 
not be more than two or two and a half feet 
high, or the vines will become top heavy 
and high winds will more easily injure 
them. In spur-pruning these two lower 
canes are allowed to remain on the lower 
wire, forming what are called arms, and 
the bearing canes from these arms form the 
spurs. Cut back the bearing wood from the 
arms to two buds each, and every year 
thereafter prune these spurs to two buds so 
as to keep bearing spurs as close to the arm as 
possible, otherwise in a few years they will 
be too long, and easily broken off by high 
winds. When vines are pruned for an 
arbor, select one strong cane, grow it to the 
height of the arbor and cut it off at that 
height, and start out canes from it to dis- 
tribute over the arbor according to the form 
and size of it. These form the arms on the 
arbor, and should be spur-pruned the same 
as those above mentioned. This may be 
continued from year to year until finally 
they may have to be renewed with new 
arms. In selecting bearing wood do not 
prefer the most rampant large canes, as they 
are not the best, the buds not being well 
developed, but select those of medium 
size, with large, full buds, and then there 
will be large bunches and fine berries. 
When vines grow too strong prune longer, 
and when they grow too feeble prune 
shorter. This is a general rule, and should 
always be observed in pruning, for whatever 
may enfeeble a vine, whether from lack of 
constitution or overbearing, it must have 
rest and bear less until it recuperates. 
Cuttings should be put in propagating 
beds about the fifteenth of 
this month. They should 
be cut about two or three 
inches long, one eye at the 
top is sufficient. It is not 
necessary to leave an eye below, as 
they will strike root just as well, if not 
better, without one, and this is true of all 
kinds of cuttings, without any exception. 
Set the cuttings upright in rather coarse, 
clean sand down to the top bud. The sand 
should be compact rather than loose. The 
bottom heat should remain for a few days 
at 60°, then raised to 75° to 80 q in the day 
time, and not below 65 n at night. The top 
heat should be kept about 10° to 15° lower 
than the bottom heat, by ventilation and 
shade. If there is sufficient ventilation 
there will be no mildew or damping off. 
The cuttings must al- 
ways be kept moist 
by frequent sprink- 
ling. This is about all 
there is in growing 
cuttings successfully. 
Some varieties are, 
however, much long- 
er in striking roots 
than others ; some 
will root in three 
weeks or less, while 
others may take near- 
ly twice as long. 
All the hybrids and 
riparia root easily, 
more so than the labrusca. — J. Stayman. 
Grafting the Grape. 
So much inquiry about grafting the 
grape, as to when it should be done, the 
best way of doing it, what kind of vines 
graft the best, what varieties should they 
be grafted with, and what success have we 
had, shows that there is an unusual interest 
in this subject. This is caused in all 
probability by the unreliability and worth- 
lessness of so many varieties of grapes that 
have been recommended and planted. 
People do not wish to lose all their time, 
money, and labor, if there is any successful 
way of changing them to better sorts. 
j 
This can be done with little loss of time, 
money or labor, compared with the alter- 
native of destroying them and setting out a 
new vineyard. 
The first step is to select and procure good 
grafting wood, as more than half depends 
upon it. The wood must be as fresh and 
green as when taken off the vines, and 
should not be less than the size of a lead 
pencil, and well matured. The grafts 
should be cut at least six or eight inches 
long, and it is better to have two buds, for 
if one does not grow, the other may ; the 
second bud being about halt waj between 
the top bud and the lower end. We select 
our grafting wood when pruning, and cut 
in lengths of two, three, or four grafts, tie 
in small bundles, and store away in damp 
sawdust, easy of access when wanted. 
We then cut it up into single graft lengths r 
just to suit the vines in size and length 
when grafting. Some vines require longer 
as well as 
smaller grafts 
than others, 
and in this 
way we can 
select and 
adapt the one 
to the other. 
For grafting 
grapes the 
tools required 
are a good, 
sharp shoe- 
maker’s knife, 
a light mallet, 
fine saw, prun- y/y 
ing shears, and ' 
a ball of gro- 
cer’s wrapping 
twine. We put 
all these into a 
basket and 
wrap the graft 
wood in a Grape Grafting. Fig. 419. 
damp sack, and go to work. We employ 
a person to go ahead and dig out with a 
spade the ground all around the vines, 
down to a point below the first tier of roots, 
say eight inches deep. In spading down no 
attention is paid to the surface roots as they 
must all be cut away to get down to a clean 
stock to graft. This assistant must not 
go too far ahead of the grafter, as the stocks 
should not be too long exposed to the sun 
in that open condition. If the stock is not 
more than half or three quarters of an inch 
through: cut it off with the pruning shears, 
but if larger saw it off about six or seven in, 
below the surface. Take off the outside 
bark, select the most favorable side, and 
cut a slope on the side about one inch and a 
half long, and about one-fourth of an inch 
deep at the top. The length and the depth 
of this slope depends to some extent upon 
the size of the stock. Set the knife about 
one-eighth of an inch from the top of the 
slope, and drive it down with the mallet 
about one inch and a quarter or more deep, 
to form a tongue in the stock. The knife 
must be set exactly, or it will cut too 
