35 



CHAPTEE VII. 



PLANTING VINES WHEN AND HOW TO DO IT. 



INES maybe planted at any season of the year, provided all 

 the requisite conditions are fulfilled. The usual practice is to 

 plant the ripened canes of the previous season's growth, such 

 as that shown in fig. 12, which is a Pot- Vine, termed a "Planter." 

 In the majority of cases these have to be received from the nursery at 

 the end of the season, and the earlier they are obtained and planted 

 the better. October is a very good period for planting.. Vines 

 planted then commence a little root-action, and get. to some extent, 

 established before the spring. 



It is not advisable to plant in the mid-winter months, especially 

 in outside borders, as the soil is then very cold and wet. If Vines 

 cannot be planted before November it is far better to defer the 

 operation till the spring, say at the end of January or beginning of 

 February ; later in the season they will be commencing to grow, and 

 cannot then, with safety, be pruned or cut as may be required. 



In planting young Vines from pots the soil should be shaken away,, 

 and the roots spread out fully, and laid as near the surface as may be 

 possible ; the soil should then be filled in, made firm, and, if necessary, 

 watered in the usual way. 



Another method, which is greatly to be recommended, is to plant 

 the young growing Vines that have been raised from eyes during the 

 same season. For those who have the convenience to raise their own 

 Vines, and to plant them out in the month of May or during any of 

 the summer months, there is a gain of, at least, one year's growth. 

 This, of course, can only be practised where the Vines are planted 

 in the inside borders. The difficulty of carriage, and the consequent 

 damage to the tender-growing plants prevents the nurserymen from 

 supplying Vines for planting in this condition to any extent, other- 

 wise it would be largely adopted. We have planted Vines in May 

 from six-inch pots that have made rods thirty feet in length the same 

 season, and formed stems of corresponding thickness. We have also 

 planted in June and July with nearly equal success. In planting 

 these growing Vines from pots the ball need not be broken, as the 

 roots have not yet become matted, and consequently, if the soil is 

 pressed gently around them, and well watered, there is no check ; 

 and growth commences immediately. 



Mr. Thomson, when at Dalkeith, adopted the plan of raising Vines 



