198 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



will grow where they find the most favorable temperature and mois- 

 ture. If the soil at two feet is dry the roots will not grow there, 

 however long the cutting may have been. If the soil at six feet has 

 the proper degree of moisture the roots will go to that depth, however 

 short the cuttings. Before planting the vineyard, therefore, the soil 

 must be thoroughly soaked down to five or six feet at least. 



Owing to the filling up of the soil pores with the silt carried by the 

 irrigating water, this deep wetting cannot be accomplished on hard 

 soils by ordinary furrow irrigation or a single flooding in the usual 

 manner. Some more efficient method of wetting such soils must be 

 found if the vines are to be placed on a stable basis. 



Probably the growing of alfalfa on the land for two or three years 

 before planting would be the best means. The repeated heavy flood- 

 ings would finally moisten the soil down to the required depth and the 

 alfalfa would improve the humus and nitrogen contents of the soil. 

 Another method adopted with success by some growers is to check 

 up the land with levees high enough to allow of flooding each check 

 to a depth of one or two feet. "When the water of this first flooding 

 has disappeared by soaking in and evaporation the check is flooded 

 again. Two or three floodings of this kind will, in most cases, wet 

 the soil down sufficiently deep. Another method suggested is a pro- 

 longed slow irrigation with very small furrows. This, however, is 

 laborious and less certain to moisten all the soil equally. 



Choice of Cuttings and Roots. If the soil is properly prepared by 

 soaking and deep plowing, cuttings should succeed almost as well as 

 roots. 



The cuttings should be chosen, made and handled properly. 8 With 

 care in planting and cultivation, ninety per cent, or more of them 

 should make a good growth. Those which miss should be carefully 

 replaced the following year with rooted vines. 



The length of the cutting is not of great importance providing it 

 is long enough not to run any risk of becoming dry before it roots. 

 From fourteen to sixteen inches is a convenient length. Longer cut- 

 tings simply increase the cost of planting without any corresponding 

 benefit. 



The soil, after irrigating, should be plowed, harrowed, and gotten 

 into perfect condition before planting. The cuttings, after soaking 

 in water for one to three days, should be planted with care to avoid 

 drying. The soil should be packed tightly around the cutting from 



8 See Circular 26, "The Selection and Preparation of Vine Cuttings," Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station. Berkeley, California. 



