182 OPEN AIR GBAPE CULTUKE. 



regular fall or spring pruning. The cuttings may then 

 be preserved in a cool cellar, either buried in mode- 

 rately dry sand or simply laid on the floor and covered 

 with straw or leaves. Excessive dryness or damp- 

 ness are equally to be avoided, and the temperature 

 should be low though never sufficient to freeze the 

 fluids in the cutting. In this state they should be kept 

 until the middle or end of April, as nothing is gained 

 by setting them out at an earlier period. Indeed, 

 we have found those which had been well preserved 

 during the winter and set out in May do quite as 

 well if not better than any others. In some experi- 

 ments we used the previous year's wood, cut from the 

 vines when the young shoots had grown two inches, 

 and yet in this case they grew finely and made strong 

 plants. But of course this is not an example to bo 

 imitated except where it is desired to procure scions 

 of some particular variety, and the opportunity for so 

 doing occurs only at the period indicated. Such cut- 

 tings should be set out as soon after being cut off as 

 possible, and if the weather be dry and warm, shad- 

 ing, watching and watering will all be necessary. 



In planting cuttings it is best to choose a plot of 

 rather sandy soil (heavy soil will not do) ; trench it 

 deeply, mixing it with manure thoroughly rotten and 

 converted into a Hack mold. (Any decomposition 

 going on in the soil will ruin the cuttings.) Then 



