HORTICULTURE 237 



constituent elements of plant food. They should be used liberally 

 and should be well mixed with the soil in its preparation before 

 planting; they may be used afterwards as top dressing to be worked 

 into the surface in the process of cultivation. Leaves, soap suds, old 

 leather scraps, and lawn rakings have also been found beneficial 

 to the growing vines. Such coarse articles should be worked into the 

 subsoil below the level to be affected by subsequent culture, where 

 they will decay slowly and will not be pulled to the surface by the 

 tools used in cultivating the vines. 



Commercial fertilizers of various kinds and manufacture are 

 now accessible to most farmers who may desire to use them, but as 

 they are well adapted to use as surface dressing, and generally with 

 special objects in view, they may be applied at any time after the 

 vines are planted. A full discussion of commercial fertilizers here 

 is unnecessary and impracticable. The Department of Agriculture 

 and many of the State experiment stations have published bulletins 

 on fertilizers that may be obtained gratuitously upon application. 



Propagation of the Vine. As a rule the farmer is advised to 

 obtain the few vines he may wish to plant for family use from some 

 reliable near-by nurseryman, who will be qualified and willing to 

 help him in the selection of varieties suited to his locality, rather 

 than to attempt to propagate them for himself. He should, however, 

 know and understand the more simple methods of propagation, and 

 then, if opportunity offers, he can put his knowledge into practical 

 use by propagating them for himself. Most varieties of grapes are 

 easily propagated by one or both of two simple methods that are in 

 general practice, viz., by layering and by cuttings. All varieties of 

 the grape may be propagated easily by layering. The process con- 

 sists in bringing a branch of the growing vine into direct contact 

 with the soil and holding it in that position until roots are thrown 

 out at the point of contact, after whch the newly formed vine or plant 

 may be cut loose and transplanted to any desired place where it is 

 intended to grow. One growing season will be required for the root 

 system to be sufficiently perfected for severing the new plant from 

 the mother vine. 



Layering should be done in early spring. Plants may be made 

 from one cane or shoot of the previous years' growth of wood. This 

 is accomplished by placing the cane, when the buds have fairly 

 started, in a shallow trench about 3 inches deep. After the shoots 

 have grown a few inches a little earth should be drawn into the 

 trench filling about the vine and the base of these growing shoots. 

 In a few days a little more earth is to be worked in and so on till 

 the trench is full. Meantime the shoots should be tied in an upright 

 position to small stakes, and the ground kept well cultivated during 

 the growing season. The following spring the buried cane or under- 

 ground stem with its rooted plant at each node or joint, should be 

 taken up and the plants separated by cutting them apart. Then 

 each young plant will be ready for its permanent place in the vine- 

 yard. 



Propagating by Cuttings, Cuttings for propagation should usu- 



