THE GENESEE FARMER. 



91 



cely to partake more of the constitutional charac- 

 iter of the female parent than of the male, per- 

 ips the best varieties to experiment upon, to pro- 

 ice a black variety, would be the Isabella or the 

 oncord for the female parent, fertilized with the 

 )Ueu of tire Black Hamburgh ; and the Diana or 

 e Delaware^ fertilized with the Rose Chasselas, 

 r a red ; and the Rebecca, crossed witt Golden 

 haseelas, for a white. These seedlings wonld be 

 06t likely to partake of the hardy constitution of 

 le natives, and of tlie fine flavor of 'the exotics. 

 s tiie foreign varieties will almost invariably have 

 ' be grown under glass, they will be most likely 

 come into bloom before the native varieties out 

 ' doors ; and to ensure those to be operated upon 

 :panding their flowers at the same time with the 

 ;otic8, it will be necessary to have some of the 

 itive varieties grown in pots, that they may be 

 oved into the cold grapery early in the spring, or 

 otected with a temporary glass structure. 

 As the hybridization of the grape vine is rather 

 nice operation, it will require some close atten- 

 )n and watching to catch the flower just before 

 expands. The corolla should then be removed, 

 e anthers cut away, and the stigma fertilized with 

 « pollen of the exotic variety. If, on cutting 

 i^ay the corrolla, it is seen that the anthers have 

 irst, the whole flower must then be cut away, as 

 is most likely it will have fertilized itself by its 

 vn pollen, and will frustrate the whole operation, 

 ae or two bunches on a plant, and these thinned 

 It one-half, will be enough to attend to at a time. 

 Eyes. — The native varieties are veiy readily mul- 

 plied by single eyes. An eye is a small portion 

 of the one-year-old wood, having but one 

 bud. In the month of February or 

 March, take one-year-old, Avell-ripened 

 wood, and cut it into as many pieces as 

 there are well-ripened buds. Cut the 

 eyes one inch above the bud, and two 

 incher below it, as in fig. 8. Then take 

 cutting-pans or boxes, four inches deep, 

 and of any size to suit convenience, and 

 put in about one inch of broken charcoal 

 or potsherd, or anything rough and loose, 

 for drainage, and over that a thin layer 

 of moss, or the siftings of leaf-mold, to 

 keep the drainage clear, and then fill to 

 within half an inch of the top (pressing 

 it pretty firm with the hands) with finely- 

 sifted leaf-mould from the woods, and 

 lake sand, if it can be had — if not, any 

 fine, light, rich earth, that is very porous, 

 ill do; about one-fourth sand will be the right 

 roportion. Then press the cuttings into the soil 

 p to the bud, in a somewhat slanting direction, 

 ad about one inch apart, keeping the bud upper- 

 lost, and just above the soil. The bud must not 

 buried, as it is very apt to rot. They should 

 jen be placed in a temperature of about 60° by 

 ight and 75° to 80° by day, and carefully attended 

 > for water. The soil should be kept just moist, 

 ud they will nearly all grow. "When they have 

 i ooted, they will have to be potted off singly, or 

 e planted out in the open ground if warm weather, 

 f the weather should prove dry at the time of 

 lanting out, it will be necessary to give them some 

 » rater; but when water is applied, give them a 

 borough soaking, that the water may soak to the 



Fio. 8. 



extremities of their roots. Merely wetting the 

 surface, does as much harm as good, by causing it 

 to bake and crack. 



Cuttings. — "What is commonly called a chitting, 

 is a piece of the last year's wood, from one foot to 

 eighteen or twenty inches in length, con- 

 taining several buds, as seen in fig. 4. 

 As soon as the ground is in good work- 

 ing order in the spring, the cuttings 

 should be planted. Choose a rather 

 sandy piece of ground, and stretch a line 

 across it. Then dig a trench the depth 

 and width of one spade, and carry this 

 earth to the opposite end of the bed, to 

 fill in with at finishing. Now dig across 

 the bed again, throwing the earth up to 

 the line, and make it level and smooth 

 with the spade. Now set the spade per- 

 pendicular, and back up to the line and 

 thrust it into the ground to the depth of 

 two-thirds the length of the cutting, j.^^ ^ 

 Then draw the spade toward the bed, 

 and from the line, bringing with it the soil, and 

 leaving a perpendicular bank immediately beneath 

 the line. Now place the cuttings in an upright 

 position against this bank, about six inches apart, 

 and about two-thirds their length in the ground, 

 leaving one or two buds above ground. Now place 

 the loose soil up to the cuttings with the spade, and 

 tread it up to them firmly with the foot, setting the 

 foot only once in a place, and right across the row. 

 Now dig it all level and smooth for a distance o? 

 fifteen or eighteen inches from the row, and move 

 the line and make auother. Should the ground be 

 rather stitf or clayey, it will be well to put into the- 

 trench, immediately upon the heels of the cuttings, 

 about two inches of light sandy soil. This will in- 

 duce them to root more easily. Decomposed vege- 

 table mould and sand is best for this purpose, if 

 they can be had. Should the weather prove hot 

 and dry before the cuttings have rooted, it may be 

 necessary to give them some water, or a shading 

 with some light, littery straw, or both, as circum- 

 stances may suggest. 



Latkes. — Layering is the bringing down of a 

 branch from an established plant, and burying it in 

 the soil while yet connected with the mother plant. 

 Fig. 5 will fully illustrate this. 



Fig. 6. 



The best time for layering the grape vine, is in 

 the latter part of June or beginning of July. Take 

 a young branch, and bring it to the surface of the 

 ground. Lay it where it is wanted, and peg it 

 there, if need be. Then cover it with light, rich 

 soil, to the depth of three inches, and the whole 

 length of the branch, leaving the end and all the 

 leaves and small laterals sticking out. By fall it 

 will be well rooted all the way up the stem. It 

 may then be taken up and divided into as many 



