THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. Ill 



slightly concave steel discs, which revolve when the harrow is pulled 

 over the land. No regard need be paid to the rows of cuttings, pro- 

 vided they do not stand too high above the surface, or have begun to 

 swell. Not one cutting in a hundred is injured, and those that are cut 

 off are sure to sprout from below. After every shower of rain, the 

 land should be harrowed or pulverized in this way. If the soil is 

 baked and hard around the cuttings, the latter will be slow to start, 

 but a loosening of the soil will have the desired effect almost immedi- 

 ately. The amount of irrigation needed for young plantations can 

 only be decided upon on the ground. The cuttings should be kept 

 growing, and young leaves should always be seen at the tips of the 

 branches. Long before these young leaves cease growing, a copious 

 supply of water should be added to keep the soil from becoming 

 too dry. 



Transporting Cuttings to Distant Parts. When cuttings are to be 

 shipped any distance, they must be packed. The simplest method of 

 packing for short distances is to fill the bottom of a sack with wet 

 straw, and then slip the bundle of cuttings down in the sack, and a 

 single string will then suffice to secure the sack to the bundle. Packed 

 this way, cuttings can stand a voyage of a week or more if the weather 

 is not too hot. If a longer voyage, of say several weeks' duration, is 

 necessary, the cuttings should be packed in dry-goods boxes, and, if 

 the time of transit is not too long, no other packing is needed. If, 

 however, a very long transit is in view, more precautions for the safe 

 arrival of the cuttings are required. After the bundles have been 

 pressed down in the box, moist and fresh moss is packed tightly down 

 all along the sides of the box. Such packing will keep the cuttings 

 fresh for over a month. For a longer time, coarse, pulverized char- 

 coal filled in between the cuttings is a splendid pack ing. The charcoal 

 must be dry, the moisture in the cuttings being enough to keep them 

 alive for several months. Packed first in tin boxes surrounded by 

 charcoal, and then the boxes soldered tightly, so as to allow no air to 

 enter, is the safest method for transporting cuttings long distances. If 

 there is a possibility to repack at certain stations on the road, wooden 

 boxes may be used instead of tin. The waxing of the ends of the 

 cuttings will help to keep them moist. All lumber boxes should be 

 lined with waxed paper, and all cracks carefully nailed up, as by the 

 drying of the boards the contents are very liable to run out. I/arge 

 and heavy boxes should be surrounded by iron bands. 



Rooting Cuttings. There are two ways of planting cuttings in the 

 nursery in order to have them rooted for next season's planting. One 

 way is to plant in nursery rows four feet apart; the other is to set in 

 beds. For such nursery, a plat of land with rich soil and with good 

 water facilities should be selected. Water should never fail in the 

 nursery, as cuttings always require more water than old plants set 

 farther apart. The rows should be staked out four feet from each 

 other. Six or eight inch cuttings should be used, according to the 

 depth to moisture; the more moisture, the shorter need be the cuttings. 

 With a big, flat hoe the soil along the line of the row is thrown up on 

 one side, the cuttings are set down upright close to the perpendicular 



