Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-10-10
MORE GRAPE VINES
CAN Be ADDED BY
SHORT CUTTINGS"
Expert Tells About Another Way
to Produce Vines From tie
Parent Stock.
GRATING NOT SUCCESSFUL
"Layering," which Can Be Done
This Fall or'Next Spring,
Is Also Good.

In the last issue of THE WASHING
TON SrANDAKn was an article urging
farmers to look around and mid out
whether they were using all available
parts of their farms, suggesting that in
this corner or that might be room for
a grape vine or arbor. In that article
one method of producing more vines
from the parent stock, by reproducing
from cutting, was discussed.
There is a variation of this plan,
called the short cutting method, which
requires more pains but which, some
authorities claim produces better vines.
One of the short cutting advocates is
Prof. S. r. Maynard of the department
of horticulture in the Massachusetts
College of Agriculture. The short cut
ting, he says, should consist of sin
gle bud, with only two or three inches
of wood. 1t must be rooted in sand by
the aid of artificial heat Make the
cuttings in winter and put them into
boxes of sand one or two inches apart.
Furnish heat in the bottom o fthe box
by layer of fermenting stable manure
or else get the same result by placing
the box on hot water or steam pipes.
The desired temperature of the soil in
the box is from SO to GO degrees, says
Prof Maynard, and that of the sur
rounding air should be from 40 to 40
degrees. When well rooted the cut
tings are transpianted to other boxes
or, if the danger of frost is over to
the open ground.
Layering may also be done this fall
or in the spring. 1t is the easiest pos
sible way of getting lot of vines from
an old one and it will succeed with
more varieties of the grape than the
cutting method.
Select long cane of last years new
wood, starting near the base of the
trunk of the vine. Dig trench two
inches deep from the stem in the direc-
ton the cane grows and as long as
that cane happens to be. Then bend
the cane over and pin it down in that
trench for it's entire length. About ev-
cry bud on that cane will produce an
upward growing shoot AS soon as the
shoots start fiji in the trench with
soil and then for every shoot a root
growth will start downward, producing
whole string of new grape plants, all
nj IA no 10
cane like litter of pigs from a SOW,
as well as from their own new roots
and tops. When the growth is well
started the layer is cut between each
two new plants and the young vines
are taken up separately and trans
planted
man with a good grape vine from
which he wants to raise many others,
either for himself or to sell or give
away, can look ahead season or two,
and by letting a new shoot grow until
have the source of another string of
vines from the desirable stock
Successful grating for grapes Is a
difficult matter, much more so than for
the tree fruits; and with the two sim
pie and practically sure methods of
cutting and layering at your disposal
the only excuse for adopting the third
way of propagation is the commenda-
BILE one of wanting to try all the ex-
periments that are possible in your
garden.
For grating purposes the scion
should be well ripened, short-jointed
wood of medium diameter. If any
time elapses between the cutting of the
scion and the operation Of grating it
should be kept in cool place where
there will be no danger it its drying
out. Three or four weeks before the
union is made cut off the stock two
inches above the point where the graft
Is to be made so 1t may bleed thor
oughly. The next step is to cut off the
stock near the surface of the ground
trihe below the surface If 1t is de-
sired that the grated part put out
roots of it's own.
Make cleft in the smooth cut sur
\ face. cut the lower end of the scion to
smooth wedge, even slants on both
sides, and then insert it in the cleft,
pushing the wedge down until the bot
tom bud is just above the cut off sur
race of the stock. The principal thing
TO look out for is that the inner bark
OF the scion is in contact with the in
her bark of the stock. AS the scion
Is smaller than the wood into which 1t
is grated, two scions may be put into
The same cleft, one on either side, so
mat each will get the absolutely essen
tlal bark contact. The principal rea-
son for inserting two scions Is that you
aouble your chances of success in an
operation that is by no means sure.