34 GRAPE CULTURE AND 



is but from one to two dollars per pound. Prepare a piece of 

 good soil thoroughly, deeply plowing and cultivating it, level- 

 ing off well with harrow and clod crusher. It will be more 

 economical to work these with a horse cultivator during the 

 summer; therefore the drills can be made three feet apart. 

 The seed, which generally is dry when received, even if 

 gathered the foregoing fall, should be prepared about a week 

 before sowing, by soaking in hot, but not boiling, water, in 

 which it may remain for twelve hours, when the cold water 

 may be poured off, and another application of hot water 

 given. The next day pour it into a sack to drain off the 

 water, and lay it in the sun during the day, moistening the 

 sack whenever it becomes dry, and keeping it under cover at 

 night. The best time for sowing in this State is in February 

 or March; in frosty locations it may be well to wait a little 

 later. It generally takes about three weeks to a month be- 

 fore the young plants appear, and all danger of frost should 

 be passed then. 



Sow in shallow, broad drills, so that the seeds are at least 

 an inch apart, if you wish to raise good stocky plants; cover 

 about an inch deep, with fine soil, pressing the ground to the 

 seeds. The young plants should be kept clean and well cul- 

 tivated, a shovel cultivator to "straddle the rows," so that one 

 share goes on each side of the row, and run through them 

 every week or ten days, will keep the soil loose and mellow, 

 although they should also be hoed once or twice. In the 

 fall or early in winter, when the rains have softened the 

 ground, they can be dug by running a tree or grape vine dig- 

 ger as the nurserymen use them, under the rows and pulling 

 up the young vines by hand; or if such a tool is not to be 

 had, a furrow plowed away from them on each side, and lift- 

 ing them with the spade. I sort and grade them generally in 

 two classes, as it will make a more even plantation, tie them 

 in bundles of 100 each, and "heel. them in," in beds slightly 



