Manual of American Grape-Growing Part 4

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 8. Cutting off the trunk.]

In eastern America, the growing vine is usually grafted. At the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, the operation is very successfully performed on old vines as follows: Preparatory to grafting, the earth is removed from around the stock to a depth of two or three inches. The vines are then decapitated at the surface of the ground and at right angles with the axis of the stock. If the grain is straight, the cleft can be made by splitting with a chisel, but more often it will have to be done with a thin-bladed saw through the center of the stock for at least two inches. The cion is cut with two buds, the wedge being started at the lower bud. The cleft in the stock is then opened, and the cion inserted so that the cambium of stock and cion are in intimate contact. If the stock is large, two cions are used. The several operations in grafting are shown in Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11. Grafting wax is unnecessary, in fact is often worse than useless, and if the stock is large the graft is not even tied. Raffia is used to tie the graft in young vines. It suffices to mound the graft to the top of the cion with earth, for the purposes of protection and to keep the graft moist. Two or three times during the summer, sprouts coming from the stock or roots from the cion should be removed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 9. Cutting the cleft.]

A method used with fair success at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station with young vines is to plant one-year-old stocks in the nursery row as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring.

Just as the vines start in growth, these are cut off at the surface of the ground and whip- or cleft-grafted with a two-eye cion. The graft is tied with raffia, after which it is all but covered with a mound of soil. This is a case in which the work must be done at the accepted time, as it is fatal to delay.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 10. Inserting the cion.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 11. The completed graft.]

R. D. Anthony describes another method as follows:[2] "A method which a Pennsylvania grower of Viniferas has found very satisfactory is to root the Vinifera cuttings, and grow them one year on their own roots; then the vine which is to be used as a stock is planted in the vineyard and the rooted cutting planted beside it so that the shoots from the two may be brought in contact with each other. In June when the plants are in full growth, two vigorous shoots (one from each vine) are brought together and a cut two or three inches long made in each parallel to the length of the cane removing from one-third to one-half of the thickness of the shoot. These flat surfaces exposed by the cuts are then brought into contact with the cambium tissues touching and are tied in place. The tops are checked somewhat by breaking off some of the growth. The following spring the Vinifera roots are cut off below the graft and the top of the stock above the graft is removed."

In the subsequent care of these young vines, the grower must take time by the forelock and tie the grafts to suitable stakes; otherwise they are liable to be broken off at the union by wind or careless workmen.

Grafted vineyards must have extra good care in all cultural operations, and even with the best of care from 5 to 50 per cent of the grafts will fail or grow so poorly as to make regrafting necessary, this being the most unfavorable circ.u.mstance of field grafting. Regrafting is done one joint lower than the first operation to avoid dead wood; this brings the union below the surface of the ground, and the vineyardist must expect many cion roots to try his patience.

_Vineyard grafting on the Pacific slope._

Vineyard grafting, according to Bioletti,[3] was formerly the commonest method of starting resistant vineyards in California. After stating that it is best whenever possible to plant good cuttings rather than roots, and that the grafting should usually be done the year after planting, Bioletti gives the following directions for grafting:[4]

"Wherever possible the vines should be grafted at or above the surface of the ground. In many cases, however, it will be necessary to go below the surface to find a smooth, suitable part of the stock where grafting is possible.

"The kind of graft to use will depend on the size of the stock. For stocks up to 2/3 inch in diameter the methods of tongue and wire grafting already described are the best. For larger vines up to 3/4 inch a modification of the ordinary tongue graft is the best. If the tongue graft were made in the usual way with stocks of this size, it would be necessary to use excessively large scions, which is undesirable, or to have the barks unite only on one side. By cutting the bevel of the stock only part way through the vines, it is possible to make a smaller scion unite on both sides. For still larger vines, those over 3/4 inch in diameter, the best graft is the ordinary cleft.

"No wax or clay should be used on the graft. Anything which completely excludes the air prevents the knitting of the tissues. A little clay, cloth, or a leaf may be placed over the split in the stock when the cleft graft is used, simply to keep out the soil. Otherwise there is nothing more suitable or more favorable to the formation of a good union that can be put around the graft than loose, moist soil. If the soil is clayey, stiff or lumpy, it is necessary to surround the union with loose soil or sand brought from outside the vineyard.

"It will usually be necessary to tie the grafts. A well-made cleft graft often holds the scion with sufficient force to prevent its displacement and no tying is necessary. Wherever there is any danger of the graft moving, however, it should be tied. There is nothing better for this purpose than ordinary raffia. The raffia should not be bluestoned, as it will last long enough without and will be sure to rot in a few weeks, and the trouble of cutting it will be avoided.

Cotton string or anything which will keep the graft in place for a few weeks may also be used.

"As soon as the graft is made and tied, a stake should be driven and the union covered with a little earth. The hilling up of the graft may be left for a few hours, except in very hot, dry weather. Finally, the whole graft should be covered with a broad hill of loose soil 2 inches above the top of the scion.

"Field grafting should not be commenced as a rule, except in the hottest and driest localities, before the middle of March. Before that there is too much danger that heavy rains may keep the soil soaked for several weeks--a condition very unfavorable to the formation of good unions. In any case the grafting should not be done while the soil is wet. Grafting may continue as long as the cuttings can be kept dormant. It is difficult to graft successfully, however, when the bark of the stock becomes loose, as it does soon after the middle of April in most localities."

As in the East, it is necessary in California to remove suckers from the roots and roots from the cions once or twice during the summer.

Suckers should not be allowed to overshade the graft, though it is best not to remove them until danger of disturbing the graft is past.

The grafts should be staked and the vines looked after as recommended for eastern conditions.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE III.--Cover-crops. _Top_, cow-horn turnips; _bottom_, rye.]

_Bench grafting._

The resistant vineyards of France and California are now started almost entirely with bench-grafted vines. It has been learned in these regions that a grafted vine, to be a permanent success, must have the consorting parts perfectly united, and that the sooner the grafting is done in the life of stock and cion the better the union. Cions of the variety wanted are, therefore, grafted on resistant roots or resistant cuttings in the workshop and then planted in the nursery. Bench grafting has the advantage over field grafting in time gained and in securing a fuller stand of vines.

Bench grafting really begins with the selection of cuttings, since success largely depends on good cuttings of both stock and cion.

Cuttings are taken from strong healthy vines and are of medium size, with short to medium joints. The best size is one-third of an inch in diameter, that of stock and cion being the same since the two must match exactly. The cutting-wood may be taken from the mother vines at any time during the dormant season up to two weeks before buds swell in the spring, and the cuttings can then be made as convenience dictates, though meanwhile the wood must be kept cool and moist, which is best done by covering them with moist but not wet soil or sand in a cellar or cool shed. In California, the best results are obtained when the grafting is done in February or March, though it may be begun earlier and continued a month later.

_Preparation of cuttings._

The stocks are cut into lengths of about ten inches, a gauge being used to secure uniform length. The cut at the bottom is made through a bud in such a way as to leave the diaphragm. The top cut is made as near ten inches from the bottom as possible, leaving about one and one-half inches above the top bud for convenience in grafting. The stock is then disbudded, taking both visible and advent.i.tious buds, the latter indicated by woody enlargements, to keep down the number of suckers.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 12. Bench-grafted cuttings of grape, showing both the cleft-graft and the whip-graft.]

The cion should be made with but one bud, thereby gaining the advantage of having every cion the same length so that all unions are at the same distance below the surface of the ground in the nursery.

The cion is made with about two and one-half inches of internode below the bud and one-half inch above, a sharp knife being the best tool for making the cuts.

Stock and cion cuttings are now graded to exactly the same diameters, this being necessary to secure perfection in the unions. Three methods of uniting stock and cion are ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 12. It suffices to grade by the eye into three lots--large, small and medium--but some nurserymen prefer to secure even greater accuracy by the use of any one of several mechanical gauges. The methods of uniting stock and cion may be described best by quoting Bioletti, from whom most of the details already given have been summarized:[5]

_Tongue grafting._

"When the stocks and scions are prepared and graded the grafter takes a box of stocks and a box of the corresponding size of scions and unites them. Each is cut at the same angle in such a way that when placed together the cut surface of one exactly fits and covers the whole of the cut surface of the other. The length of cut surface should be from three to four times the diameter of the cutting, the shorter cut for the larger sizes and the longer for the thinner. This will correspond to an angle of from 14.5 to 19.5 degrees. The cut should be made with a sliding movement of the knife. This will make the cut more easily and more smoothly.

"The cut should be made with a single quick motion of the knife. If the first cut is not satisfactory, a completely new one should be made. There should be no paring of the cut, as this will make an irregular or wavy surface and prevent the cuttings coming together closely in all parts.

"The tongues are made with a slow, sliding motion of the knife. They are commenced slightly above one-third of the distance from the sharp end of the bevel and cut down until the tongue is just a trifle more than one-third the length of the cut surface. The tongue should be _cut_, not _split_. The knife should not follow the grain of the wood, but should be slanted in such a way that the tongue will be about one-half as thick as it would be if made by splitting. Before withdrawing the knife it is bent over in order to open out the tongue. This very much facilitates the placing together of stock and scion.

"The stock and scion are now placed together and, if everything has been done properly, there will be no cut surface visible and the extremity of neither stock nor scion will project over the cut surface of the other. It is much better that the points should not quite reach the bottom of the cut surface than that they should overlap, as the union will be more complete and the scions will be less liable to throw out roots. If the points do overlap, the overlapping portion should be cut off, as in the Champin grafts.

"A skillful grafter, by following the above-described method, will make grafts most of which will hold together very firmly. Many of them would be displaced, however, in subsequent operations, so that it is necessary to tie them. This is done with raffia or waxed string. The only object of the tying is to keep the stock and scion together until they unite by the growth of their own tissues, so that the less material used the better, provided this object is attained. For the formation of healing tissue air is necessary, so that clay, wax, tinfoil or anything that would exclude the air should not be used. The tying material is pa.s.sed twice around the point of the scion to hold it down firmly, and then with one or two wide spirals it is carried to the point of the stock, which is fastened firmly with two more turns and the end of the string pa.s.sed under the last turn. The less string is used the more easily it is removed later in the nursery.

"Untreated raffia should be used for late grafts which are to be planted directly out in the nursery, but if the grafts are to be placed first in a callusing bed it is best to bluestone the raffia in order to prevent rotting before the grafts are planted. This is done by steeping the bundles of raffia in a three per cent solution of bluestone for a few hours and then hanging them up to dry. Before using, the raffia should be washed quickly in a stream of water in order to remove the bluestone which has crystallized on the outside and which might corrode the graft.

"Some grafters prefer waxed string for grafting. The string should be strong enough to hold the graft, but thin enough to be broken by hand.

No. 18 knitting cotton is a good size. It is waxed by soaking the b.a.l.l.s in melted grafting wax for several hours. The string will absorb the wax, and may then be placed on one side until needed. A good wax for this purpose is made by melting together one part of tallow, two parts of beeswax, and three parts of rosin."

_Wire grafting._

"The merits claimed for this method are that it is more rapid, requires less skill, and does away with the troublesome tying and still more troublesome removal of the tying material. Practiced grafters can obtain as large a percentage of No. 1 unions by this method as by any other, and unpracticed grafters can do almost as well as practiced. Another advantage of the method is that the scions have less tendency to make roots than with the tongue graft.

"It consists essentially of the use of a short piece of galvanized iron wire inserted in the pith of stock and scion for the purpose of holding them together, thus replacing both tongues and raffia. It has been objected that the iron would have a deleterious effect on the tissues of the graft, corroding them, or causing them to decay. There seems, however, no reason to expect any such result, and vines grafted in this way have been bearing for years without showing any such effect.

"The preparation and grading of stocks and scions are exactly the same for this method as for the tongue graft.

"Stock and scion are cut at an angle of 45 degrees. A piece of galvanized iron wire two inches long is then pushed one inch into the firmest pith. This will usually be the pith of the stock, but it will depend on the varieties being grafted. The scion is then pushed on to the wire and pressed down until it is in contact with the stock. If the cuttings have large pith it is better to use two pieces of wire, one placed in the stock first and the other in the scion.

"The length of wire to use will vary with the size and firmness of the cuttings, but 2 inches will usually be found most satisfactory. Wire of No. 17 gauge is the most useful size."

_Making bundles._

"If the grafts are to be planted out directly in the nursery, they may be simply laid in boxes or trays, covered with damp sacks, and carried out to be planted as soon as made. It is usually better, however, to place them for several weeks in a callusing bed before planting. In this case it is necessary for convenience of handling to tie them up into bundles. No more than twenty grafts should be placed in a bundle, and ten is better. If the bundles are too large there is danger of the grafts in the middle becoming moldy or dry.

"A stand is very convenient. It consists of a piece of board 12 inches, on one end of which is nailed a cleat 6 inches by 4 inches and under the other end a support of the same size. Two 4-inch wire nails are driven through the board from below, 4 inches apart and 5 inches from the cleat. Two other 4-inch nails are driven similarly at 1-1/2 inches from the other end. The grafts are laid on this stand with the scions resting against the cleat, and are then tied with the two pieces of bluestoned raffia that have previously been placed above each pair of nails. This arrangement insures all the scions, and therefore the unions, being at the same level, and puts both ties below the union where they will not strain the graft. The tying is more expeditious and less liable to disturb the unions than if the bundles are made without a guide.

"A skillful grafter will make about one hundred tongue grafts on cuttings per hour, or from sixty-five to seventy-five per hour if he does the tying as well. Wire grafts can be made at the rate of two hundred and fifty or more per hour, and by proper division of labor where several grafters are employed this number can be easily exceeded. These estimates do not include the preparation and grading of the cuttings."

_Grafting rooted cuttings._

The cion may be grafted on a stock rooted in the nursery the previous season, much the same methods being used as with cuttings. This method is employed to utilize cuttings too small to graft, the added sizes attained in the nursery making them large enough, and in grafting on stocks which root with difficulty, thus saving the making of grafts which never grow. The stocks, in this method, are cut so that the cions may be inserted as the original cutting and not as the new growth. The roots, for convenience in handling, are cut back to an inch or thereabouts in length.