PLANTING YOUNG VINES. 



Mr. W. J. Thompson writes :— " Vines can be planted at any 

 time of the year, but they will do much better if planted before 

 May as they will then get more light and warmer nights than if 

 planted at the end of the year. In planting, care must be taken 

 that the roots are laid out straight from the centre, also that the 

 base of the new growth just touches the soil, so that roots can 

 form from this part. As soon as the vines are planted the ground 

 should have a copious supply of water to wash the soil well in 

 between the roots. After the first watering, if done thoroughly, 

 the plants will not need watering again for about fourteen days, 

 but from then until the end of September, by which time they 

 should have made good growth, they should never be allowed to 

 suffer for want of water. From September to January they should 

 be kept without water to allow the canes to ripen. When the 

 young plants are put out a strong stick should be fixed near each 

 for the vines to climb on." 



Mr. Cradwick writes:— "In planting out a young vine be sure 

 it is very wet at the roots before you attempt to remove it from the 

 bamboo pot. Do not attempt to shake it out of the bamboo pot 

 but take a cutlass and split the bamboo from bottom to top on 

 both sides so that the young plant lies in one half of the bamboo. 

 Make a hole in the border with the hand, of sufficient size to 

 receive the roots of the young plant easily ; the roots should be 

 carefully spread out, covered with soil which should be pressed 

 only a little with the hands, and then well-watered. The action 

 of the water will cause the soil to settle down round the young 

 plant. In putting out any young plants it is necessary to be care- 

 ful not to make the soil too tight, for if pressed down too firmly it 

 hinders the freedom of root action without which satisfactory 

 growth cannot be made. For the first year a good strong, 

 straight stick is all that is needed in the way of arbour." 



The Rev. Mr. Griffith writes : — "Having everything in readiness 

 when you plant your young vine, let the surface of the soil for 

 from twelve to eighteen inches round it be about three to four 

 inches below the surface of the surrounding ground ; let the collar 

 of the vine, i.e., where the junction of the new growth is made 

 with the old wood, be just beneath the surface of the soil. As the 

 vine makes growth this slight depression will come in useful both 

 as a convenience for mulching and watering, as well as keeping 

 the new roots at home. Little by little, about an inch at a time, 

 the soil can be raised round the vine until it is level with the sur- 

 rounding surface. Into this new soil the vine will send out a 

 multitude of rootlets, and the old wood, from which the shoot 

 originally grew, will gradually perish, and you will get what is 

 practically a vine from a bud, which is the very best possible. 



So soon as root action begins and new growth shows, a stout, 

 straight stick, six to eight feet long, should be given it to climb 

 up. Without this artificial aid the vine will show possibly two or 

 three growths, not one of them of any value, and it will sprawl 



