AND WINE MAKING. 15 



CHAPTER IV. 



PROPAGATING THE VINE BY LAYERS. 



All varieties of the grape may be readily increased by 

 layering, but it is especially valuable for those hard- 

 wooded varieties of the cestivalis species, which will not 

 grow readily from cuttings, and vines thus propagated 

 will, if handled rightly, make very good plants. To layer 

 a vine, shorten in the canes of the last season's growth to 

 about one-half their length, then, early in the spring, pre- 

 pare the ground by the use of the spade or fork, to 

 thoroughly pulverize it. Make a small furrow about an 

 inch deep, bend down the cane and fasten it firmly in the 

 bottom of the furrow, with wooden hooks or pegs. The 

 canes may be left thus until the young shoots have grown 

 from 6 to 12 inches, then fill up around them with fine 

 soil or leaf mould. Canes so layered will generally strike 

 root at every joint. The shoots may be tied to small 

 sticks, and when they have grown a foot, their tops should, 

 be pinched to make them more stocky. In the fall take 

 them up carefully, commencing to dig at the end 

 furthest from the vine, and separate the plants, by cutting 

 between the joints, so that each shoot has a system of 

 roots by itself. They are then either planted immedi- 

 ately, or heeled in, as described for vines from cuttings, 

 to be planted in the spring. 



