The Grajpe. 127 



favorable. Rather steep hillsides may be used for the grape 

 by terracing. 



188. Propa§:ation. The grape is readily propagated by 

 layers and cuttings and less readily by grafting. Seed- 

 lings are rarely grown except to obtain new varieties. 



(a) Bij laijers. New shoots of most varieties of the 

 grape, layered before midsummer, usually root freely the 

 first season. This method forms a convenient way for the 

 amateur to propagate a few vines, and the superfluous 

 shoots from the base of bearing vines may be used for this 

 purpose. But where vines are wanted in large numbers, 

 and of varieties which do not readily root from cuttings, 

 vines should be planted expressly for laj'ering. In this 

 case, the soil should be made very rich to produce a vigor- 

 ous growth of shoots. These parent vines should be 

 planted 6 or T feet apart and should be permitted to grow 

 2 or 3 years, or until 2 or 3 vigorous shoots are produced, 

 before layering begins. It is well to train these shoots to 

 upright stakes. About the time the leaf buds begin to 

 open, the strongest of these shoots may be layered by put- 

 ting down so much of each shoot as has strong, well- 

 developed buds, in a straight trench about 5 inches deep, in 

 which it is held i;i place b}^ pegs or stones. When shoots 

 from the buds on the layered cane have grown a fcAv 

 inches, the cane should be lightly covered with earth or 

 compost, and it is well to mulch it with a little loose, damp 

 moss. Too much earth added at first may cause rotting of 

 the young stems. Usually not more than 6 plants should 

 be raised from one cane, and if the shoots of these grow 

 unequally, the more vigorous ones should be pinched. In 

 the meantime, one or more young shoots, the number de- 

 pending on the strength of the parent plant, should be 



