Page:A Treatise on the Culture of the Vine and, and the Art of Making Wine.pdf/156

 arising from small heaps of dong. In some wine countries, the snail is accounted such a delicacy, that its collection is rather a matter of profit than, than expense.

The most careful cultivator frequently finds himself under the necessity of replacing plants which may have perished by divers accidents, or by old age, and it is frequently his interest to substitute a variety which may be more fitted to the climate or soil.

The method of propagating by layers, is resorted to in the first case, and recourse may be had to grafting in the second. In grafting vines, it is recommended, that the stock should be cut two inches below the surface of the soil, and it is generally done, by what English gardeners call cleft grafting. The scions are cut at the end of autumn, and preserved carefully through the winter, in the way prescribed for cuttings. When the sap begins to circulate, the stock, which should be sound, is cut clean, in a horizontal direction, and cleft in the middle, in a space without a knot. Some recommend, that the scions, previous to insertion, should be immersed a few hours in water. The scion should be the lowest part of a sḥoot, and should be cut down to three eyes or knots. It is usual to pat two scions in one stock; they are carefully cut in the form of a wedge, having