Grapes. 377 



of ripe grapes longer than at present. That period is now ex- 

 ceeded, among all our kinds of fruit, only by the apple and pear 

 The apple now fills the whole yearly circle "it belts the year." 

 The pear continues to ripen from midsummer until the following 

 spring, but there are few sorts that keep well after January ; while 

 grapes may be kept almost as easily as winter apples, although in a 

 different way. The peach, in the North, continues to ripen scarcely 

 two months at furthest the plum about the same while neither will 

 keep long in a fresh state. The hardy grape will yet give us a deli- 

 cious fruit remarkable for its wholesomeness, in unlimited quantity 

 if we desire it, scarcely if ever failing with seasons not less than 

 eight out of the twelve months of the year. 



PROPAGATION. The vine is propagated by seeds, layers, cuttings, 

 and by grafting. 



Seeds are planted only for obtaining new varieties, by cross-fertili- 

 zation, as described in an early chapter of this work. 



PROPAGATION OF THE GRAPE. 



The facility with which the grape emits roots on its young stems, 

 and the rapidity of its growth, render it one of the most easily pro- 

 pagated of all bearers of fruit. The new shoots, buried before mid- 

 summer, with a few inches of permanently moist earth, do not fail 

 to throw out plenty of young fibres from every buried joint the first 

 season. Cuttings and single bud under favorable circumstances, 

 will root with equal certainty. 



LAYERS Summer Layering. Layering is the easiest and most 

 certain, but not the most rapid mode of propagating the grape. It 

 may be done on a small scale, for amateur purposes, without any 

 special preparation, by using accidental or straggling shoots, or those 

 purposely left near the foot of the vine. Usually a little before mid- 

 summer these shoots will have hardened sufficiently to prevent the 

 rotting which might occur if buried too soft or green. Extend the 

 shoot on the ground in order to determine the most convenient spot 

 for excavating under the centre. Then make a small hole or depres- 

 sion wjth the spade, bend a shoot into this hole and cover it with a 

 few inches of earth as shown in the following figure (Fig. 414). The 

 surface of the ground must then be kept clean and mellow for the 

 purpose of preserving moisture in the soil ; and should the season 

 be a very dry one, the surface should be mulched that is, covered 

 with a few inches of fine grass or short straw. If the shoot is a 

 strong and thrifty one, and grows well at its extremity out of ground, 



