AND WINE MAKING. 243 



cost will but be a trifle more, as good cuttings of these 

 varieties can be obtained, grown in the State, for about 

 eight dollars per thousand, and the vines will pay for the 

 additional trouble of grafting, by their increased yield 

 and greater vigor. The seeds of the riparia and rupestris, 

 if sown in nursery rows, will vegetate readily, and make 

 good plants, although not so strong as the cuttings. 



THE NURSERY. 



For the nursery select a good, fertile piece of land, with 

 deep, rather sandy soil, if it can be had. Plow deeply 

 in fall or early winter, as soon as the first rains have 

 fully saturated the soil, and plow again early in spring, 

 just before planting. The deeper the ground is plowed, 

 the better will it hold moisture, and I have found, by 

 experience, that pulverizing the soil wall, making it deep 

 and mellow, and frequently stirring it during the sum- 

 mer, to keep it porous, is more successful than irriga- 

 tion, and raises better and more hardy plants. The cut- 

 tings need uniform warmth as well as moisture, and irri- 

 gation has a tendency to cool the ground at the base of the 

 cuttings too much. These sudden changes from warm 

 to cold, are anything but beneficial to the young plant 

 in its most tender period. This treatment will apply to 

 all cuttings, Asiatic or American, and also to seedlings. 

 For the nursery I prefer the cuttings even shorter than 

 usual, say between eight and ten inches long, as they 

 can be planted perpendicularly, and will make strong- 

 er roots at the base than longer cuttings, which will 

 make numerous weak roots at every joint. Cuttings, as 

 well as seeds, are generally planted in March or April, 

 when the ground has become warm, and will work well. 

 Cuttings can be made at any time during the winter, as 

 soon as the wood is fully ripened, and kept and planted 

 as described in the first part of this book, Chapter III. I 

 have found it very convenient to make the rows three 



