T h: E 



GRAPE CULTURIST. 



Vol. II. 



OCTOBEE, 1870. 



No. 10. 



OCTOBEE. 



WORK FOR THE MONTH. 



This month will, to some extent, 

 be taken up bj wine making, of which 

 we have already treated in a separate 

 article in the August number. After 

 your vines have 3'ielded their crops, 

 and the first frosts have stripped them 

 of their leaves, give them another 

 plowing, throwing the ground well up 

 around the vines. Tender varieties 

 should be pruned first, then bent down 

 along the trellis, a few shovels full of 

 earth thrown on them to keep them 

 in their position, and then well covered 

 with the plow. This should be done 

 with all varieties which are even of 

 doubtful hardiness, and will richly 

 repa}' every season, as the vines gen- 

 erallj' suffer more or less ever}^ winter. 

 Plowing in fall has several advantages: 

 1st. All the leaves are covered up, 

 will rot under the vines, and are just 

 the kind of manure — in fact, in most 

 cases the only one which the vine 

 needs. 2d. It throws the ground well 

 up against the vines, thus being a 

 partial protection to them, leaving a 

 furrow as a surface drain in the midtUe 

 of the row, to carry off the water. 

 3d. It pulverizes the soil, leaving it 

 exposed to the influence of frost. 



Ground maj' also be prepared for fall 

 planting, by plowing and subsoiling. 

 Even if it should be impossible to plant 



it, it will be all the better in spring for 

 being exposed to the atmosphere. 



In the latter part of the month 

 plants may be taken up from the 

 cutting bed and propagating grounds. 

 Be careful to get all the roots you can, 

 and especially not to burst them off 

 at their junction. By all the roots we 

 do not mean their entire length. If 

 they are cut off with a sharp spade a 

 foot from the vine they are abundantl}' 

 long. But we mean that they should 

 not be split or bruised. 



Do not dig your plants, however, 

 before they are thoroughly ripe. The 

 brown color of the wood and droj)ping 

 of the leaves are the best indications. 

 Never allow the roots to get drv. 

 They should not be more than an 

 hour out of the ground, and, if the sur 

 shines, the roots should be covered 

 even during that time. Sort into first 

 and second class, and, if you intend 

 to keep them out of doors, choose a 

 dry, sand}^ spot, and heel them in 

 in rows, in a shallow trench, laying 

 them slanting, and thin enough so that 

 all the roots can be covered with 

 mellow earth. Cover up to above the 

 crown, and then throw some rubbish, 

 dry leaves, straw, etc., over them to 

 prevent their lifting by the frost. 



Cuttings may be made, and the 



