THE 



GRAPE CULTURIST. 



Vol. II. 



MAY, 1870. 



No. 5. 



MAY. 



WORK FOR THE MONTH. 



May, with its genial sunshine, is es- 

 pecially the pushing and growing month, 

 and the vintner will have enough to do, 

 tying the young shoots of his vines 

 destined for next year's canes, summer 

 prunino- and pinching, etc. In tjdng 

 up the 5'oung canes, his object should 

 always be to train them where they have 

 the most room on the trellis, and as 

 speedily as possible, to the upper wire 

 of the trellis along which they may be 

 led, and form a leafy canopy, shading 

 and protecting, but not smothering, the 

 fruit below. The best material for tying 

 is the inner bark of the Pawpaw, slit 

 into convenient strips. Bass wood bark 

 is not quite strong enough, and is apt 

 to be rubbed through by the friction of 

 the branches ; and twine is too expen- 

 sive. Rye straw cut into convenient 

 lengths, also the husks of corn, slit and 

 soaked in water, and the leaves of the 

 Adams Needle ( Yucca filamentosa) are 

 also good. Of summer pruning, we shall 

 treat in a separate article. 



As soon as weeds appear, after the 

 first plowing and hoeing, plow and hoe 

 again, but more shallow than the first 

 time, and always in dry weather. Keep 

 the ground well pulverized, especially in 

 your new plantations, around thej'oung 

 vines. They will grow much more freely. 



Examine j^our grape grafts, and rub 



off all suckers from the stock below, as 

 they will rob the graft of the nourish- 

 ment properly belonging to it. But take 

 care that you do not move the scion, or 

 rub off the buds on them. 



Do not be impatient if the scions do 

 not start at once. They always start 

 later than the stock ; very often even^ 

 the principal bud having started, it 

 drops off again, and the side bud or 

 dormant one (of which there are two 

 besides the principal one, on each well 

 developed joint — each bud in fact being 

 triple,) will start a week, or even a mouth 

 later. As long as the scion is fresh and 

 green, there is hope that it will grow, 

 and those starting late will often make 

 up by vapid growth for lost time. Keep 

 them well covered with saw dust oi' tan, 

 so as to shade them from the sun, and 

 keep them moist, while the young buds 

 can easily penetrate it. 



Fill up around j^our layers with well 

 pulverized soil, and as soon as thej' 

 have grown fifteen to eighteen inches, 

 pinch off the leading shoot. Thej- will 

 become more stocky, and make better 

 roots. 



Examine your cutting beds^ and keep 

 them clean and mellow, plowing between 

 the rows and loosening around the Gut- 

 tings with hoe and weeding fork. Should 

 the weather threaten to become too drj', 



