The splitting of the stock is done in several different ways, and to accomplish it we can either use a knife and a wooden mallet or a hand-saw. If the former is used, the knife must be sharp and thick, so as to stand the blows of the mallet. Some growers even use a sharp chisel. If a saw is the tool used,—and I prefer it every time,—the edges of the old wood should afterwards be pared off smoothly with a sharp knife, so as to leave no rough marks of the teeth of the saw. The stock is split straight across, as in the cleft graft, and one scion is then inserted at each end of the cleft on opposite sides of the stock; or the stock is split on one side only, care being taken that the cleft does not extend across the stump, and in this cleft a scion is carefully fitted as before; or a wedge-shaped piece may be sawed out or cut out of the stock, and of the size that can be fitted by a scion. It makes but little difference what method is used, as with ordinary care and skill the scions will take quite readily. Even if they should entirely fail, the same stocks may be grafted over next fall or next year, as they keep their vitality almost unimpaired for years after they are cut. It is only necessary to saw them off until fresh wood is reached.
Simple Lateral Cleft Graft, 1a. Splitting the Trunk, 1b. The Scion, 1c. The Beveled End of the Latter, 1d. Scion and Stock Joined. 2. Simple Transversal Cleft Graft with Two Scions. 3. Cleft Grafting with a Cutting Graft. Champin Graft, or Graft on a Rooted Vine. 4a. Graft and Stock Before being Joined. 4b. The Same After being Joined. All after Aimé Champin’s “Vine Grafting.”
The next work is to insert the scions. They should never be longer than sufficient to have one eye above the surface of the soil, two or three eyes to the scion being generally enough. The cuttings are first cut in sufficient lengths in the field, or on the spot, and there pared to fit the cleft in the stock. If prepared in the house, they are apt to dry out and become ruined. By keeping them in water they may be kept fresh, but this greatly injures their quality. The best way is to bring the cuttings out to the vineyard wrapped up in wet sacks, and to cut and pare them on the spot where they are to be grafted. With a sharp knife the two opposite sides of the scions are pared off tapering, but not necessarily to a fine point. The scion is then fitted in the cleft, a small wooden wedge being useful for holding the latter open while the scion is fitted. If the stock closes tightly upon the graft, no tying is required, but, if the grip of the stock is not sufficient, tying is needed. Cotton cloth, manilla rope or anything that will hold the two together will answer the purpose. The stocks and scions will both dry slightly, and the tying should therefore be secure and tight.
A piece of bark of the vine is next placed over the cleft, so as to prevent any soil from falling in the cleft, and very careful grafters use a paste made of a mixture of two parts of adobe or clay and one part of cowdung, for covering both the cleft and the sides of the grafts outside of the tying. A stout stake is driven in the ground close to the graft, and the two tied together in order that the graft may not give or be disturbed in the least. The hole is next filled with soil, which should be packed tightly and heaped above the scion, thus forming a small mound above the ground all around the graft. The soil should not be disturbed until the new shoots are well above the ground and have begun to harden their wood, at which time the security of the graft is fully assured. One or more of the grafts may be left growing for the first year, and later on all except one graft are cut off so as to give the vine only one trunk.
In grafting on resistant stocks, the latter generally being smaller then old stocks, a different graft may be used, such as the whip graft. This graft should be above or at least near the top of the ground in order to prevent the scion from taking root, the latter’s roots not being resistant to the phylloxera. Such grafts should be carefully covered with the clay mixture, and soil should be heaped up over their tops. To prevent the scions from drying out, their tops may also be covered with grafting wax.
Stocks and Their Influence.
—The old stock has a decided influence on the scion and the new vine. Which stock is the best on which to graft the Muscat has not yet been determined, but we may presume that any strong and healthy growing variety will answer our purpose. During the first year, and also during the second year, in many instances the new vine assumes a character half way between that of an old-stock variety and that of the variety of the scions. Thus I have seen Muscats grafted on Sultanas and Zinfandels which were almost identical with these varieties. If I had not positively known that they were the tops produced from Muscat scions, I would never have believed them to be anything else than suckers from the old stocks. The leaves, berries and branches of these Muscats were the first year exactly like Sultanas. The berries of those grafted on black grapes were, however, in this instance, not black but white, but I have heard of other instances in which they were partially colored. Some vines, again, showed characteristics of both varieties, the leaves generally being similar to the old stock, while the grapes showed the characteristics of the Muscats. This bastardity, however, wears off in a year or two, and finally the vine assumes the full characteristics of the scion variety. When this takes place it is evident that the sap of the scion or the top of the vine has either changed the root, or through its quantity overpowered the effects of the root-sap.
Muscats grafted on Malagas, Feher Szagos, Sultanas and Zinfandels all do well in time, and in many instances bear even better than Muscats on their own roots. Our experience in grafting the Muscat is, however, limited, and we do not know with any certainty which roots are the most favorable or the most unfavorable on which to graft the Muscat grape. I have seen grafted Muscats on wine stocks which did not do well as regards bearing, while the growth of the vines was rather vigorous. These varieties mentioned above are, however, suitable stocks for Muscat grafts. I learn from Mr. R. C. Kells of Yuba City that the late Dr. S. R. Chandler of the same locality cleared the third year seventy-five dollars per acre from Muscats grafted on Mission vines. This must be considered as very successful, especially as I have heard of other instances where similar grafts did not bear sufficiently the third year to pay for the labor of caring for the vineyard work that year.