The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-09-07

This should be filled up to within the
proper distance of the surface to
set the vines, with chips from the
shoe.makcr's shop, old shoes: leather
and scraps from the tan yard in.
corporated with the soil which has
been taken out. The vines then
should be planted by spreading the
roots carefully and filing up with q
mixture of top soil, lcached ash
cs, broken or ground bones, and q
a portion Of well rottcd leaves or
twelve feet apart in the trenches, and
if trained upright, the trenches may
be made eight to ten feet apart.
The most expeditions way to OBJ.
tain supply Of good fruit, is to
graft these varieties which ure
found to succeed best, upon the
old varieties, which are subject to
rot, and which should be cxtirpatcd
as rapidly as possible. The scions
should be cut in January, before the
sap begins to flow and buried in
some cold exposure until wanted for
use: They should be cut from two
to three buds in leaving one inch or
more below the eye to form the ton.
que. The best time to insert them
is the last March or the first of
April. The proper season for the
operation is when the buds begin
to swell and expand, and We have
generally found it advantageous to
defer it as late as possible, as it does
not matter if the stock is putting
forth leaves, SO the scions arc
not pushing.
Common cleft grating is general.
y adopted. Take away the earth from
around the vine intended to be graf
ted; saw it off three or four inches be-
low the surface, and with a strong
knife or chisel and ma|let, split the
stock, insert a small iron wedge in
to the cleft to keep it open until the
scion is inserted; then shape the
scion wedge fashion and insert into
the cleft SO that the inner portion of
the bark oftlle scion and stock come
together; a bit OF cloth is all that
is necessary to keep the earth from
failing into the cleft. If the vines are
small it is necessary to tie them With
cotton thread to cause the stock to
clamp until a union can take place;
then fill up with earth until the last
bud is left. When the stocks are
too large to split, they can still be
grated by boring holes with cen
tre.bit into the face of the stock; the
sciors are prepared by eating round
the bark, just below an eye, aud ta-
king off the bark, insert them into
the holes until the bark comes down
to wood. When the face of the
stock is larg' several gratis can be
inserted i'll tn. -amc stock. As this
manner Of grating generally sue.
ceeds very well, it shows that there
is not the same necessity for making
the bark of the stock and scion meet,
as is the case in grating fruit
trees. The gratis should be pro.
tectcd from injury by stakes, and
the stocks should be kept from
all shoots that spring up.
All experiments made in attempt
ing to naturalize the foreign grape,
appear to have proved unsuccessful!
little or no effect seems to have
been produced by cngratting them on
the hardy native varieties. The vines
hourished for a few years, then die
down to the point Of union, in most
cases. The only prospect seems to
be in producing new varieties by
hybridizing with the native kinds.
These, in most instances, prove har.
dy, and in time We may succeed in
obtaining some choice varieties.
From crossing in this way, it is pro.
bable that the flavor of the native va.
ricties would be greatly improved,
and at the same time. they being ma.
t,Sal to the climate, will retain all the
hardy qualities requisite. Enconr.
agement should be given through tic
fostering care Of our Societies, for
choice varieties thus produced. 1t
would be tho means Of bringing them
into notice and general cultivation.
The first year after planting moth.
ing is necessary to support tho vine,
as they are to be cut of the second
year within a few inches of the
ground. They should be trellished,
and fine healthy shoot trained up
to form the vine. The best mode OF
training in our climate, is the up.
right one. The posts should be
twelve or fifteen feet high and good
laths nailed against them along the
rows, and the tops Of the post cover.
ed with boards, as suggested in Mr..