128 Lessons in Fruit Growing. 



trained upright, for laj-ering the next season. The plants 

 from the layered cane should be well rooted before winter. 

 They should be taken up in autumn, separated by cutting 

 the parent cane between the plants, and kept through the 

 winter by being buried in a well-drained place in the open 

 ground, or in a cool, moist cellar. 



The layering process may be repeated in successive years. 

 Should the parent plant show reduced vigor, layering 

 should be omitted one season to permit it to recuperate. 



(b) By cuttings. Most varieties of the grape are readily 

 propagated from cuttings of the previous year's growth. 

 The cuttings are preferably made in autumn. It is cus- 

 tomary to use cuttings containing two nodes, cut shortly 

 below the proximal node and an inch or two above the 

 distal one. The cuttings may be buried a foot or more 

 deep, in well-drained soil in autumn, and some varieties 

 are found to root better if buried with their proximal end 

 uppermost. The canes may be buried during winter and 

 the cuttings made in spring, but it is usuallj^ more satis- 

 factory to make the cuttings in autumn. 



The cuttings should b.e planted in spring, in well pre- 

 pared soil, and up to the distal bud. They may be placed 

 4 or 6 inches apart in rows, preferably running north and 

 south, and the rows should be far enough apart to admit 

 of convenient cultivation. Well-crumbled soil should be 

 compactly pressed about the cuttings. To facilitate the 

 latter process, the cuttings are often laid against the slop- 

 ing side of a trench. This is then filled with the soil, 

 which is pressed about the cuttings with the foot. 



It is important to shade the cuttings from bright sun- 

 shine. This may be done by supporting a board, 8 or 10 

 inches wide, on light stakes a short distance above the row, 



