72 SETTING THE GRAPE VINE. 



The Vineyard. — The best vines for planting in the vineyard 

 are No. 1 one-year-olds from cuttings or layers. These should 

 not have made less than eighteen inches of wood, and have a 

 large mass of fibrous roots. 



The best soil is a light sandy or gravelly loam that does not 

 suffer from drouth; and if on an elevation sloping to the south, 

 the fruit will be of much finer quality and will be less liable to 

 injury from late frosts in the spring or early frosts in the fall. 

 The more small stones in the soil the warmer it will be, and the 

 richer and earlier the fruit. 



Before planting, the land should be thoroughly prepared and 

 marked out with a marker or with a plow. If very accurate 

 spacing is desired, the marking or staking should be done with 

 the line or wire. The soil should be made moderately rich by 

 the use of well-rotted stable manure or bone and potash. 



The distance of planting is from six by ten feet, to ten by ten 

 feet according to the vigor of the variety and the mode of train- 

 ing. For all but the very small growing kinds, like the Dela- 

 ware, Lady, etc., I think the latter distance the best. The nearer 

 they are planted, the less space the roots will have in which to 

 develop and the more fertilizing material will need to be ajjplied, 

 and vice versa. 



The most rapid way of planting is to furrow out the land both 

 ways, and the vines are planted at the intersection. 



Before planting, the top of the vine should be cut off to two or 

 three buds, and if the roots are very long, it is well to cut them 

 back to ten inches in length. Having prepared the vine, the hole 

 is prepared with a spade by taking out three or four spadefuls 

 of soil at the intersection of the furrow previously made, in such 

 a way that the soil in the center will be a little higher than that 

 on the border of the hole, so that the ends of the roots may be 

 planted about eight inches deep while the crown of the root shall 

 be covered only four or five inches. Spread out the roots in all 

 directions and fill in with good surface soil, pressing it very firm- 

 ly in place. If the soil be very poor, a handful or two of fine 

 ground bone may be worked in with the soil about the roots with 

 great benefit. 



Cultivation. — The land of the vineyard may be planted for 

 the first two years with some low-hoed crop like potatoes or 

 beans; provided a little more plant-food is returned to the soil 

 in the fall or spring than is taken up by the crop removed. Per- 

 haps there is nothing better to grow in the newly-set vineyard 

 than the bean crop, as cultivation would cease early in July; 

 while the land would be disturbed by digging the crop of potatoes 

 so much and so late as to cause a late growth of the vines. No 

 crops should ever be planted in the vineyard that will shade 

 vines. 



Pruning and Training. — The First Year. — During the first 

 summer, the vines will require no care except to see that they 

 are not injured in cultivating the other crops. They will grow 



