PLANTING THE VINEYARD 303 



to high stakes. Such plantations are made with the vines seven by 

 ten or eight by ten feet, four and one-half by eleven feet ,etc. There 

 is a great variation in the distances. Some advantages of the row 

 system are as follows : Greater space to spread trays for raisin 

 curing; plowing can be done with double teams or tractors and 

 larger plows ; the brush can be gathered and burned between the 

 rows instead of carrying it to the avenues; sulphur and materials 

 for spraying can be brought in by team to any part of the vineyard ; 

 empty boxes can be distributed and filled ones gathered up without 

 carrying, etc. 



Number of Vines to the Acre. However the vines be set, it is 

 very easy to calculate the number of vines which an acre will 

 accommodate. Multiply the distance in feet between the rows by 

 the distance the plants are apart in the rows, and the product will 

 be the number of square feet for each plant, which, divided into 

 the number of feet in an acre (forty-three thousand five hundred 

 and sixty), will give the number of plants to the acre. 



Avenues in the Vineyard. For convenience of access with team 

 and wagon there should always be avenues through the vineyard. 

 They are usually arranged so as to cut up the vineyard into blocks 

 about twice as long as broad, if the vineyard be on the level land. 

 Of course, on hilly lands the avenues should be located for ease of 

 hauling. The avenue is made by leaving out a row of vines, and, 

 therefore, the exact size of the block will depend upon the distance 

 between the rows. Some advise having not more than forty vines 

 between the avenues. Planting in rows, with wide spaces between 

 the rows, renders few avenues necessary. 



PLANTING CUTTINGS AND ROOTED VINES 



Various means are used for planting cuttings. An essential con- 

 dition to successful growth is to have the lower part of the cutting 

 well embedded in the soil, as it will not root unless in close contact 

 with the earth. To lack of care in this regard most failures are 

 due, and for lack of surety that such contact is made the various 

 contrivances for speedy planting, such as the planting bar, are 

 widely condemned ; an excavation of the hole and refilling with 

 fine surface earth, just as advised in Chapter XI, for planting 

 orchard trees, is commended as the safest practice. Much, how- 

 ever, depends upon the soil. In loose, free soil such a use of a bar 

 or "sheep's-foot" as will be presently described may be satisfac- 

 tory, while it would be impracticable on firmer' soils, both because 

 of the difficulty of insertion and because the packed condition 

 caused by the forcing in would not favor root extension, and not 

 desirable on shallow soils because the contact of the better surface 

 soil with the bottom of the cutting will stimulate the growth of the 

 cutting, and is, therefore, very desirable. 



The post-hole auger and a device for taking out soil as a "trier" 

 takes out a sample of cheese or butter, have also been used to some 

 extent in making holes for cuttings. 



