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MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 73 
healthy bearing vines. A aa plant cannot be made fruitful by 
transplanting. To incur all the labor and expense, to prepare the 
ground, and then fail by setting out vines that never did and never 
will produce fruit, would be an intolerable mistake. Every reader 
will, therefore, appreciate the necessity of the utmost vigilance in 
this part of the work. 
The healthy vines are not generally the finest in appearance. The 
stalk is usually smaller and more wiry than the barren vines, the 
runners fine and regular, and the leaves have a mellow, brownish 
look. Avoid, therefore, wild vines, which throw out strong, vigo- 
_rous runners, and are clothed in a beautiful green. The difference 
between the productive and non-productive vine is very apparent to 
the touch ; while the barren vine is somewhat harsh, the productive 
vine, drawn between the fingers, will be decidedly unpleasant i in its 
sharp, rasping effect, indicating the presence of silex to a great de- 
gree. Many persons, who may contemplate engaging in the business 
are well acquainted with some natural bogs on which they can rely 
for vines. To such it is only necessary to say, take your vines from 
those patches which produce the largest and best fruit. Any variety 
desired, as the Bell, or Cherry, or Oblong, may be found in small 
patches and thus propagated. If unacquainted with any natural 
bogs, obtain information of some person on whom you can implicitly 
rely, not failing, however, to test the vines by the directions above 
given. 
SETTING THE VINES. 
Of the different methods of propagating the vine in cultivated 
plats, we will only speak of two: 
Ist. By cuttings. By this we mean that the vines are collected 
in sufficient quantity and run through a hay or straw cutter, and then 
scattered evenly over the surface, and raked in. This, if done quite 
early in the spring, may result in stocking the ground thoroughly 
and quickiy. But this method has several drawbacks. 1st. It will 
not admit of clean culture, which is very essential. 2nd. It is at 
tended with great waste of vines at the best; and, 3d. If the sowing 
happens to be followed by dry, hot weather, the greater portion of 
the plants will die, and time as well as expense is lost. 
The second method is the one which we would recommend, and 
denominate hole setting. It is slower, more expensive and _ labori- 
ous, but decidedly the best. Remember, painstaking wins every 
time in this business. 
For hole setting, lay out the ground in squares of from 15 to 18 
inches, by drawing a marker straight each way. Then with a hard- 
wood stick sharpened, (some have an iron point,) punch a hole in 
each corner. The setters follow, inserting a small bunch, perhaps a 
single vine, folded several times, in this hole, leaving the top out a 
little, and pressing the sand close around them. This method has 
every advantage: clean culture, certainty of growth, regularity and 
beauty of appearance, and a general uniformity of spreading and 
matting. 
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