1868 . ] 
VINE STOCKS AND VINE-GRAFTING. 
67 
were Crusader, Clio, Dr. Hogg, Blue Bell, Autocrat, and Village Maid, all, 
we believe, varieties sent out last spring. Dr. Hogg is described above; 
Autocrat is a bright orange ; Crusader, a crimson scarlet; Clio, a rosy purple 
with scarlet upper petals ; Village Maid, a deep rose pink with clear white 
blotch; and Blue Bell, a shade of pink with a bluish tinge. These may 
all be recommended with confidence. M. 
VINE STOCKS AND VINE-GRAFTING. 
f AM pleased to see that Mr. Standish has drawn attention (p. 15), to 
the grafting of the Vine, with the idea of improving and strengthen- 
<©/(£> ing the fine-flavoured, but weak-growing sorts. Grafting is an easy 
operation, but I fear it cannot be performed as Mr. Standish points 
out, for the object of fruiting a barren Vine the same season. I have 
ripened a bunch from a graft inarched the same season, the end of which 
was placed in a small bottle of water; the bunch and berries were small, 
but well coloured, but it served more as a curiosity than for usefulness. 
I have growing here a West’s St. Peter’s, grafted on a Purple Con¬ 
stants, and I find the fruit greatly improved in flavour, while the berry is 
much larger, and quite a fortnight earlier. The two adjoining Vines are 
West’s St. Peter’s, and very healthy, one on its own roots, the other grafted 
on the Black Prince ; in these two cases there is no perceptible difference. 
In another house I have a Black Hamburgh inarched on the Purple Con¬ 
stants, using the two stocks for the one Vine, and in this case the Ham¬ 
burgh is quite a fortnight earlier, and the fruit much richer in flavour. 
The Vines on the Constantia appear to have the lead in vigour of all the 
other Vines. In the same house is a Muscat of Alexandria inarched on 
the Royal Muscadine, using the two stocks for the Muscat Vine. On this 
Vine the fruit sets almost to a berry, and is very vigorous. These Vines are 
freest, which is a consideration greatly in its favour. 
The Muscat Hamburgh I have in another house, grafted on a Black 
Frontignan. This Vine is not so vigorous as one on its own roots in 
another house ; the berries are larger, and more oblong on the grafted Vine ; 
they set as freely as the Hamburgh, but are generally deficient in colour. 
Some years since I grafted the Golden Hamburgh on a very strong Vine 
of the Barbarossa [Gros Guillaume]. The graft became a very vigorous 
Vine, but for three years the bunches were little better than tendrils, and 
it was in consequence replaced by a more useful variety. As a late Grape 
the Barbarossa is a great favourite here, being always superior in flavour 
to the Alicante or Lady Downes’, and it generally carries good crops. 
Great improvement can, no doubt, be made, both in flavour and fruit¬ 
fulness by grafting; but the great difficulty appears to be in selecting 
