Propagate tKe Grape WKen Vines are Dormant 



G 



RAPE cuttings may be taken in the 

 fall from wood of the past season's 

 growth. The best ones are secured 



I 



A Display of Grapes 



from vines that are well matured and 

 short jointed. The length of the cutting 



is governed by the distance apart of the 

 buds. Single bud cuttings may be used 

 to propagate new and scarce varieties. 

 Two or three bud lengths are used for 

 the established sorts. Two bud lengths 

 are desired by most growers, as more of 

 them can be taken from a vine. Those 

 of three buds are more clumsy to handle, 

 but give stronger plants, as roots start 

 from both underground joints. Mallet 

 cuttings also may be used, but as only 

 one can be made from a cane, and as the 

 use of them interferes with good pruning, 

 they are seldom adopted. 



Tie the cuttings in bunches and store 

 over winter with the butts uppermost, 

 in sand, moss or sawdust. In spring 

 they should be examined and, if the butts 

 are not properly callused, they should 

 be treated so as to hasten or complete the 

 process. A trench should be dug in a 

 warm spot in the garden or vineyard. 

 In this place the bunches of cuttings 

 with the butts uppermost. Fill the in- 

 terspaces with some poor conductor of 

 heat, such as sawdust, and cover the butts 

 with an inch or so of warm sandy soil. 

 This method may be practised, also, 

 with cuttings that are not taken from 

 the vines until late winter or early 

 spring. In a short time, say two or three 

 weeks, the butts will be well callused. 

 Then, if all danger of frost is passed, the 



cuttings should be taken up and planted 

 in a nursery row, preferably in hght, 

 sandy soil. 



When transplanting to permanent 

 quarters in the vineyard, some growers 

 prefer one-year-old vines, while other 

 prefer those of two years' growth. The 

 proper age to transplant depends not 

 only upon personal preference, but also 

 upon the strength of the plant and upon 

 existing local conditions as effected 

 by climate and location. Two-year-old 

 vines are the better of the two, if they 

 have been left in the ground until they 

 become of age, but this is not the cus- 

 tomary practice amongst nurserymen. 

 The two year vines offered by nursery- 

 men are, in most cases, nothing more 

 than the culls of the one-year-old stock 

 replanted and allowed to -grow for an- 

 other year. Growers who desire good 

 two-year-old stock can get it by doing 

 their own propagating as here outlined. 



When transplanting grape cuttings, 

 it is customary to set the plants every 

 10 or 12 feet, in rows 10 feet apart. 

 Two seasons after transplanting, they 

 are usually ready to be trelHsed. The 

 number of posts for the trellis is govern- 

 ed by the distance apart of the vines — 

 usually one post for two vines. The 

 number of wires depends upon the 

 method of training to be adopted. . 



Winter Protection for Tender Fruit Trees 



PROIvONGHD mildness in winter 

 weather is as injurious to tender 

 fruit trees as prolonged cold. Dur- 

 ing warm spells, the buds are induced to 

 swell and, if not properly protected, a 

 subsequent freezing will greatly injure, 

 if not kill them. On the other hand, 

 prolonged cold or severe freezing in itself 

 is oftentimes the direct cause of winter 

 injury. Between these two conditions 

 of weather there is an optimum winter 

 temperature for tender fruit trees, par- 

 ticularly the peach, which is one of the 

 most susceptible to sudden changes. 

 The optimum temperature for peaches 

 is that condition or degree which will 

 winter the greatest possible number of 

 trees with the least possible loss. Un- 

 fortunately such ideal winter weather is 

 seldom experienced in this country. It 

 is necessary, therefore, to find some 

 means of protection. 



It is well known by those who observe 

 that buds often burst into growth when 

 the roots of the tree are frozen and in- 

 active. The dark-colored twigs and 

 buds of fruit trees, like all dark-colored 

 objects, absorb heat rather than reflect 

 it. For this reason, tender fruit trees are 



in danger of injury during mild winters, coun, at Ottawa; Wm. Orr and Jos. 

 In the Niagara district the past winter Tweddle, at Fruitland, and others, is 

 did considerable damage in this respect, whitewashing the branches and buds. 



Fruits and Flowers at the Ontario Horticultural Exhibition 



A practical means of winter protection, 

 originated by Prof. J. C. Whitten, of 

 Missouri, and confirmed by W. T. Ma- 



Whitewashing prevents the premature 

 swelling of the buds as heat is reflected 

 by whitened buds rather than absorbed. 



29S 



