466 [ THE VINE. 



trench and lightly covered with earth, the cuttings are 

 Jaid down taking care that they are not in direct contact 

 with the manure, and the trench is filled in with earth 

 leaving the untrimmed end of the cutting well above 

 ground. It is the practice with many planters to apply 

 the manure above the cutting, that is the cutting is laid 

 down in the usual way along the bottom of the trench 

 and covered lightly with soil, the manure is then spread 

 over the soil, and the trench filled up with earth to the 

 brim Others again, do not apply any manure to the 

 cutting until it is well rooted and properly established as 

 a vine, that is when it is three or four years old, and has 

 nearly reached bearing condition. Notwithstanding the 

 old practice to plant very long cuttings, it is not at all 

 necessary that cuttings should have more than two or 

 three nodes under ground, and may be planted straight 

 down without bending them in a reclined position. They 

 need not be planted deeper than 20 c in. in rich and 

 moist soils, or deeper than 30 c.m. in dry soils, but it is 

 important not to allow them to retain more than one or 

 two buds or nodes above ground. 



When the whole area is planted the end of the 

 cutting is trimmed neatly back to a healthy bud just 

 above the surface of the ground, a circular trough is 

 scooped around the trimmed cutting to keep it well 

 clear of the soil, and a small stick or the end ot the 

 same cutting which has been trimmed off, is stuck in 

 the ground close to the bud to mark the site and avoid 

 possible injury during tillage. In any case the operation 

 of planting should be preceded always by a thorough 

 preparation of the soil, which is trenched to a depth 

 of about 50 c m. This is done early in summer and is 

 followed immediately by the construction of trenches 

 for the reception of the cuttings. The trenches are 

 best constructed in summer or towards its close, so that 

 the deep layers of the soil may have time to be acted 



