304 IRRIGATION FARMING. 



turning the leaves yellow. When there is a porous 

 subsoil grapes do better on an adobe soil. A soil that 

 contains much alkali is not good for grapes. What 

 would be called a sandy soil with a porous subsoil has 

 so far proved to be the best, and the soil should be 

 rich enough to raise a good crop of corn. Constant 

 evaporation of water from the surface of the soil keeps 

 it cold. A warm soil is what makes a good grape. 

 Grapes can be raised with but little water, but the 

 fruit will be small and the bunches imperfedl. 



Planting. — Nearly all the vines sold by nursery- 

 men are from cuttings. Some growers use but a single 

 bud, which requires but a short piece of the vine. Care 

 should be taken to have the soil in good condition — 

 well pulverized, and containing sufficient moisture. 

 The cutting should be placed near the surface with the 

 bud turned up. In order to retain the moisture in the 

 soil it is desirable to use mulching, for without moisture 

 there can be no rooting. The use of a single bud is 

 better adapted to the nursery than to field growth. In 

 the use of long cuttings some use only the growth of 

 the last season, and some use a vSingle piece of the vine 

 having a portion of the older growth as well as the 

 new. But the first named is the more usual pra(5lice. 

 The length of cuttings is usually eighteen to twenty 

 inches. Cuttings can be taken from the vines any 

 time after the fall of the leaf, and before the spring 

 flow of the sap begins, but before January ist is better 

 than after. Keep them dormant until the time comes 

 to set them out in the vineyard, by placing them in a 

 shallow trench, top down, on the north side of a 

 building. Cover the butts with loose earth and place 



