This section is from "The Horticulturist, And Journal Of Rural Art And Rural Taste", by P. Barry, A. J. Downing, J. Jay Smith, Peter B. Mead, F. W. Woodward, Henry T. Williams. Also available from Amazon: Horticulturist and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste.
I caused cold water from a well to be thrown upon the roots of the plant,- but neither this nor any other plan which I could devise, prevented the sap from flowing, which it continued to do with so much force as to burst the bladder in about 48 hours after the operation was performed; the weather continuing the whole time warm and genial.
"I now fitted a graft to this stock, and after binding it on, I took a piece of bladder doubled, and made a small hole in it so as just to let the tip of the graft and the eye pass through the hole; the inside of the bladder I covered with a cement made of bees-wax, resin and tallow, and bound the whole with strong waxed twine from just under the- eye of the graft to 6 inches below on the stock. The sap, having now no other way to escape, was forced up through the pores of the graft; in a short time I was pleased with observing the bud of the graft swell, and when the other vines on the same wall began to grow it broke, and made a shoot with several joints. It however Boon became evident that no union had taken place between the graft and the stock, as the shoot of the former turned sickly, and before midsummer died entirely away.
"The next season I took a healthy growing vine in a pot, and carefully matched it with a seedling vine of the same size, growing in the open ground; these I inarched together, and bound a bladder round the wound instead of using cement. Upon cautiously removing the bladder at different times, I found that both the vines bled profusely, and no adhesion began to take place until they had both shot out four or five joints from each of their eyes; the bleeding then ceased, as I judged, by the sap becoming more glutinous.
"It consequently now occurred to me that the proper time for cutting off the heads and grafting of vines, without the danger of their suffering through bleeding, was when they had reached that period of their annual growth at which the sap ceases to flow thinly and rapidly. I accordingly cut the branches of several in that state, and grafted them with cuttings of the preceding year; all these grew; the operation was performed by whip-grafting, and no other covering was used than a binding of bast surrounded with grafting clay.
From these and various other experiments which I have since made, I feel confident in stating that healthy vines may be successfully grafted with young wood of the preceding year's growth from the time that the shoots of the stocks which the grafts are to be put upon have made four or five eyes until midsummer; with every prospect of the grafts growing, and without; the least danger of the stocks suffering by bleeding.
"Some cuttings of vines sent from Madeira which I received from the Horticultural Society were grafted on the 10th of May by me on seedling vines which were growing under glass, but without fire heat, with the following results: - "The Verddho shot 14 feet, produced one small bunch of grapes, and ripened its wood well.
"The Negro Molle, grafted on the same stock, shot upwards of 12 feet, produced no fruit, but ripened its wood.
"Another graft, of which the name was accidentally lost, was not put on till the 1st of July; it was then worked on the top of a young shoot of the same summer's growth; this has also grown and ripened three eyes of its wood".
From the above experiments it is evident that by grafting the vine when its state of vegetation is such that bleeding ensues, the consequence is complete failure; on the contrary, when the operation is performed after the buds of the vine have burst into leaf, when no bleeding takes place, the flow of sap being then readily taken up by the foliage, complete success is the result; and this, to the best of our knowledge, was first clearly pointed out by M. Braddick, in the above communication.
About the year 1834, Mr. William Gowans, Cadder Garden, near Glasgow, was very successful in grafting vines, of which he produced a proof by exhibiting a bunch of grapes from a strong, vigorous, well ripened shoot 22 feet long, from a graft of the same season. His plan was wedge-grafting, and, as stated in the Transactions of the Horticultural Society, second series, vol. II. p. 114, no fewer than 22 out of 23 grafts were attended with decided success. He selected for a scion a portion of the preceding year's shoot with one eye, and cut it into the form of wedge; a shoot of .similar age and thickness was split down the middle, and both sides thinned to fit the wedge-shaped portion of the scion, which was inserted with its eye opposite to that on the top of the stock; then tied and clayed over, leaving a hole for the bud. We have found, however, that whip-grafting answer quite as well, and in many cases is to be preferred. After describing his mode of operation, Mr. Gowans adds, "What I thought, and still think of essential importance to success in this mode, is to leave the eye or young shoot on the top of the stock, and allow it to grow for a few days, when it should be cot off, leaving only one eye and one leaf to draw sap to the scion, till it be fairly united to the stock.
"With regard to the time for grafting I find it will succeed pretty well when the stocks are about to break into leaf. But I think there is more certainty of success when the shoots of the stock, into which the grafts are to be inserted, have made 12 or 15 inches of new wood. For instance, the grafts which I made on 25th February this year have not broken so freely, nor yet advanced so far, as those grafted a month after when the stocks had made 15 inches of new wood: by this time the sap has begun to flow freely (into the leaves), and the danger of the stocks suffering from bleeding is over".
In the "Reports of the Fruit Committee of the Horticultural Society." there is an account of a vine having been very successfully grafted after it had come into leaf, by Mr. Spary, of the Queen's Graperies, Brighton. For a Trebbiana in a bearing state a Muscat was desired to be substituted on the 1st of April, 1858, the Trebbiana being at that time in full leaf; it was cut off rather more than 2 feet from the ground, a cleft was made in the top of the portion of stem left, and in this cleft was inserted, on the one side, a scion of the Muscat, and on the other one of the Golden Hamburgh. The former grew to the length of 18 feet in the same reason; its girth measured very nearly 8 1/2 inches; and it also bore fruit.
From what we have stated, the cause of failure in vine grafting will be fully understood, and therefore can be easily avoided in future. There is in fact as little difficulty in successfully grafting the vine as there is in grafting the apple or pear; and any one who wishes to substitute one sort of vine for another may do so without the risk of disappointment. He may cut back at the winter pruning to where he wishes to graft, or he may wait till the vine is in leaf; in either case allow the uppermost shoot on the part left to push, say 6 or 8 inches, place the graft by whip-grafting opposite that shoot, which may at the same time be stopped; bind the stock and scion together with matting, surround with clay, and over this some moss which should be kept moist. Finally, cut back the shoot left on the top of the stock to one leaf as soon as the graft begins to push. - T. in Gardener's Chronicle.
I was both amused and interested in reading the article in the January number of the Horticulturist in which "El Medico " records the serious difficulties attending his attempts at grafting the vine. And 1 may add, that my own experience in that line for several years would furnish a chapter of failures but little short of his. I think I grafted a few vines every season for a period of about five years, and during the whole time succeeded in making but one grow and form a good vine; and this one only by disregarding the usual directions given by professed experts. Instead of waiting for the formation of leaves and discontinuance of the excessive flow of sap, / grafted this one early, before the flow commenced. Since that time I have grafted thousands of vines, with nearly as good success as attends any other kind of grafting. I have practised saddle grafting, whip grafting, and Several fancy methods, but have found the common cleft grafting, carefully performed, the most reliable and successful. For large, strong stocks I hardly think' tying necessary, though a covering of clay or grafting-wax is undoubtedly beneficial. For smaller stocks, I use only paper covered with grafting-wax on one side. I could not recommend copper wire in any case.
I have also grafted on various stocks, with very little difference in result, using indiscriminately the wild frost-grape of the woods, the Catawba, Isabella, Concord, and some others. I think if " El Medico " will carefully set his grafts early in the spring, before the great flow of sap commences, he will be able, another season, to make a better record. I do not say grafting the vine can not be successfully performed after the leaves have formed; but it is a fact that, up to the present time, notwithstanding many trials, I have never succeeded in doing it.
[At last, El Medico, you have .an authority that will'let you graft as early as you want to. We feel under obligations to keep you posted. Try all, and gather material for another chapter. - Ed].
 
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