ON PLANTING THE VINES 51 



were in the pots and from three to four feet apart. If the 

 latter distance be allowed between the permanent vines, 

 supernumeraries might with advantage be planted between 

 them for bearing a crop of grapes in the following year, 

 The plants should have water given at the roots a few 

 hours before being turned out of the pots. In planting, 

 pass the hands lightly round the ball of earth and 

 roots in order to rough the surface and young roots 

 a little, thereby enabling them to push more readily and 

 speedily into the new soil ; then, having previously 

 removed a spadeful or two of the compost forming the 

 border at the intervals indicated, and marked off by sticks 

 long enough to reach the first wire of the trellis, drop 

 the individual plants into the holes thus made, pressing 

 the soil well about the roots and afterwards watering 

 with tepid water to settle the soil. This done, Jay on 

 a surface dressing of short manure to the thickness of 

 two or three inches, and tie the young vines up to the 

 sticks referred to above for support. May and June 

 are good months for planting vines of the current year's 

 raising in outside borders, in which case the stems are taken 

 into the vinery through holes provided in the brickwork 

 or wall-plate for the purpose. If cut-back vines of the 

 previous year's raising are used, they should be planted 

 a few weeks before growth begins say, early in March 

 shaking every particle of soil off the roots, disentangling 

 and shortening back the latter, and cutting clean away 

 with a sharp knife any damaged portions of the fibres, 

 spreading the roots regularly over the soil with a down- 

 ward inclination southward (assuming that house and 

 border face that direction), covering with six inches 

 of soil and a surface-dressing of half-rotten stable 

 manure of the thickness recommended above, and fol- 

 lowing this with sufficient water to settle the soil about 

 the roots. 



Both descriptions of vines mentioned above aqd planted 



