THE VINEYARD AND ORCHARD. 89 



of the variety; but it is just as easy to start several 

 cuttings as one, and by this course we guard against 

 failure, and are able to select the most vigorous 

 plant for our garden. By taking good care of the 

 others we soon derive one of the best pleasures 

 which our acre can afford, that of giving to a 

 friend something which will enhance the produc- 

 tiveness of his acre, and add to his enjoyment for 

 years to come. 



Not only on our neighbor's grounds, but also on 

 our own we shall discover that some varieties are 

 unusually vigorous, productive, and well-adapted 

 to our locality ; and we may very naturally wish to 

 have more vines of the same sort, especially if the 

 fruit is to our taste. We can either increase this 

 kind by cuttings, as has been described, or we can 

 layer part of the vine that has won our approval 

 by well-doing. I shall take the latter course with 

 several delicious varieties in my vineyard. Some 

 kinds of grapes do not root readily as cuttings, but 

 there is little chance of failure in layering. This 

 process is simply the laying down of a branch of a 

 vine in early spring, and covering it lightly with 

 soil, so that some buds will be beneath the surface, 

 and others just at or a little above it. Those 

 beneath will form roots, the others shoots which 

 by fall should be good vines for planting. Every 

 bud that can reach the air and light will start 



