148 



Cultivation of the Grape. — Transplanting. 



Vol. VI. 



For the Farmers' Cal)inet. 

 Cultivation of the Grape. 



Mr. Editor, — A question over the signa- 

 ture Q. E. D., appeared in the September 

 No. of the Cabinet, as to the best mode of 

 cultivating the grape vine, and as it did not 

 receive an answer in the last number, per- 

 haps the following imperfect sketch may be 

 of service to your correspondent. I have pro- 

 pagated some this season by the slip or cut- 

 ling, and the plan I tind to succeed the best 

 is, to take but one eye for each vine from the 

 last year's growth of wood, and plant it about 

 an inch under the earth in a moist place, 

 where they will be shaded until the second 

 or midsummer growth takes place, which 

 will be about the middle of July. In about 

 a month, after, take them up carefully and 

 put them in pots, keep them in the shade a 

 few days, and then put them out. The se- 

 cond season, cut them down to within one 

 eye of the surface of the earth, after which 

 you will have a strong, healthy vine of great 

 vigour. Should it be required to plant them 

 out where they are to remain liie second 

 summer, prepare the ground by digging out 

 the earth three feet deep and as many wide, 

 filling up the trench with a compost made 

 of ground bones, cuttings of leather, saw-dust, 

 leaves, and virgin earth ; and if what woollen 

 manufacturers call tonste can be procured, it 

 will be found preferable to every other sub- 

 stance: in such a mixture, carefully com- 

 posted, I planted some vines last spring, 

 which have flourished admirably ; one of 

 them was four or five years old, and had been 

 removed from a plantation where they stood 

 too thick ; the roots were bare of earth and 

 it remained out of tiie ground for some time 

 before planting; but by this mode of culture 

 it has thrown out five branches the present 

 pummer, each measuring ten feet in length, 

 making an aggregate of fifty feet. It bore 

 several bunches of fruit, which were removed 

 to give the tree more vigour; my present pur- 

 pose being shade, rather than fruit. 



The present season 1 have planted .several 

 Black Hamburg, White Chasselas, and Rose 

 Chasselas vines, which tiirive extremely well 

 by the plan I have adopted — the Black Ham- 

 burg in particular; and i attribute my suc- 

 cess principally to the use of the woollen 

 waste, which is very oily, and contains three 

 excellent properties — first, the oil, which is 

 a rich nourishment; second, its light sub- 

 stance, which permits the roots to penetrate 

 easily, and form strong shoots so deep as to 

 be out of the influence of frost; admitting at 

 the same time the air, so necessary fo vege- 

 tation : its third and best property being, its 

 durability, for its efll^cts will last for twenty 

 years. I have tied up ray foreign vines with 



straw to protect them through the winter, 

 and next season I hope to be able to give as 

 favourable an account of the fruit upon them 

 and my native vines, as I am this year of the 

 vines themselves. The border on which the 

 cuttings are planted should receive a dressing 

 of compost made of river sand, rotten wood 

 or saw-dust, and rich light earth, well turned 

 and pulverized for the purpose. Your well- 

 wisher, W. P. H. 

 Maiiayunk, Nov. 8th, 1841. 



Transplanting. 



When trees are removed for the purpose 

 of being transplanted, their roots should, if 

 possible, be preserved fresh and entire. If 

 these precautions have been omitted, their 

 whole bodies and roots must be immersed in 

 fresh water during twenty-four hours; and 

 their tops must be lessened in proportion to 

 the loss their roots have sustained. The 

 sources by which they derive the nourish- 

 ment which they receive from the earth 

 being diminished, the whole sap of the tree, 

 and even its vitality, would otherwise pasa 

 off" by transpiration. 



October and November, and immediately 

 after the first hard frosts have arrested vege- 

 tation, is esteemed the best season of all for 

 transplanting trees. The peach, the plum, 

 the cherry, and evergreen trees, do especially 

 well when planted early in autumn. But 

 where circumstances render it necessary, 

 transplanting may be deferred till spring. 



When trees are transplanted in autumn, 

 the earth becomes duly consolidated at their 

 roots, and they are ready to vegetate with 

 the first advancement of spring. 



The holes for receiving the trees, should 

 be dug from four to six feet in diameter, ac- 

 cording to the size of the trees, and eighteen 

 inches deep; the yellow subsoil should be 

 cast out to this depth, and replaced at bottom 

 with rich soil, intermixed with a portion of 

 manure. The tree should generally be set 

 no deeper than it .stoo<l before, otherwise the 

 lower roots will cease to grow ; the fibres 

 should be spread horizontally, in their natural 

 position, and the soil intimately and compact- 

 ly placed about their roots; manure maybe 

 placed above and beneath, and on every side, 

 but ought never to be suflered to come in 

 contact with the roots, as it is liable, in this 

 case, to corrupt and injure them: finish by 

 treading the ground very hard. When ever- 

 green trees are set, it is generally considered 

 indispensable to pour at once a few gallons 

 of water around the tree previous to treading 

 hard the earth : finish earthing, and tread 

 hard an hour afterwards. This is an excel- 

 lent and safe mode with regard to any tree. 

 — Am. Orchardist. 



