Winter Meeting. 307 



never received a spurious sort or a poor vine. The man that makes 

 the grapevine a specialty will put the vines at your door in better shape 

 if he is a thousand miles or more away than the home nursery unless 

 he is a specialist. On receipt of vines from nursery untie the bundles, 

 dampen vines, spread them thinly and cover with ground so they will 

 be in good shape when ready to plant. Having the ground ready, dig 

 the holes deep enough so that when roots are spread out fan shaped 

 at an angle of forty-five degrees, they will not be cramped, making 

 the hole so the north side slopes to the south. I now commence to 

 concentrate forces by shortening the roots of vines to within eight or 

 ten inches and cutting top off to three buds. Having thus prepared 

 the vines I put a few in a bucket of water and commence to plant by 

 placing a vine ^Adth roots spread out fan shaped on the inclined plane 

 of the hole. Cover the roots with about two or three inches of rich, 

 loose ground and tramp thoroughly, then fill balance of hole without 

 tiamping. Thus the upper soil acts as a mulch. Vines planted in this 

 manner the roots all run south, giving a chance to stick down a stake 

 at the north side of the hole without touching any roots. Please allow 

 me to stop right here and relate what I heard once at a State Horti- 

 cultural Society. A young professor of an agricultural college was at- 

 tempting to teach us how to grow grapes. If my memory serves me 

 right, he said he did not stake the vines the first year, pinched no later- 

 als but let the vine have its own course with the exception of cultiva- 

 tion; that he did not want them to commence bearing young. He then 

 asked the venerable president of the society if he were not correct in 

 his views. I first thought, young professor you have more theories 

 stored up in your head than you ever had practice in the vineyard. 

 But when that honorable old veteran nodded his head, I felt dumb- 

 founded and wondered where I had been all my life, and what I had 

 done. But after going home and thinking over my past experience 

 of nearly thirty years, planting vines every year since and never hav- 

 ing any vines damaged by bearing too young, and the many premiums 

 I had taken at state and county fairs and always taking the reward of 

 merit as to quality and size of clusters, I made up my mind these two 

 gentlemen had more yet to learn about grapes as well as myself. ISTow 

 back to my subject. After the vines have grown a few inches I again 



