32 GRAPE CULTURE AND 



Choose the finest bunch, the most perfect berries, and either 

 take the seeds from them fresh, or keep them over winter 

 in their pulp or, if cleaned, keep them in sand in winter until 

 they can be sown in early spring. They will not germinate 

 so readily if allowed to become dry. Make a bed of finely 

 pulverized soil, the deeper the better; sow in drills about one 

 foot apart, and the seeds about an inch apart in the rows, 

 covering about an inch deep with finely pulverized soil, press- 

 ing it lightly to the seeds, either with your foot or the back of 

 the hoe. When the young plants appear, which will gener- 

 ally be within six weeks, keep them clean and well cultivated 

 through the summer; in the fall, take them up carefully so as 

 not to mutilate their roots, and heel them in well-drained, 

 fine soil; covering up nearly to the top to keep them during 

 the winter and preserve their roots in the best condition. It 

 will be well, during the summer, to look over them frequently, 

 and if any of them show signs of disease in leaf or growth, 

 or are puny or sickly, pull them up, as they will not be 

 worth keeping. It may also be well to shade the young 

 plants for the first month or so, to prevent the sun from 

 scalding them while yet tender; and if any of them grow 

 very strong, give them small sticks for support. In the fol- 

 lowing spring they may be transplanted to their permanent 

 location in vineyard or garden. The ground should be mod- 

 erately light and rich, and loosened, if at all tenacious, to the 

 depth of eighteen inches. 



Make a slanting hole with the spade about a foot deep, 

 then shorten the young growth on the vine to about six inches 

 above the collar, (the part of the vine where the growth from 

 the root begins). Then spread the side fibres well, letting 

 the top or leading root go down to the bottom of the hole, 

 and set the vine about an inch deeper than it stood in the 

 nursery. Fill up with well pulverized soil, pressing it lightly 

 with the foot. They may be planted the usual distance 



