86 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



VINES FOR PLANTING. 



The vines for planting should be in pots, and one or. two 

 years old ; before planting, they shovild be kept quite dry a 

 few days, as the roots are more easily separated. 



If the plants are growing, leave off watering them until 

 they begin to droop, when you can plant them out ; the risk 

 of injuring them will be lessened, and the free watering, after 

 the roots are spread out, will immediately settle them in their 

 position, and they will grow rapidly. 



If grown on the place, or to be obtained near, young plants, 

 in pots, just rooted, can be used. Turn them out with the 

 ball of earth entire, and plant, without disturbing the roots, 

 on the inside, near the front of the house.* I have planted 

 such vines, and they have come into bearing as soon as older 

 ones ; they are to be preferred to old vines, as the latter are 

 very much injured in transplanting, if they have been growuig 

 in the open border ; if in pots, the roots are so matted 

 together, that, in separating them, many will be broken off. 



GRAFTING THE VINE. 



T. A. Knight, Esq., in a paper read to the Horticultural 

 Society, in September, 1821, says, " I selected three cuttings 

 of the Black Hamburgh grape, each having at its base one 

 joint of two years' wood ; these were inserted in, or rather 

 fitted to, branches of nearly the same size, but of greater age, 

 and all succeeded most perfectly. The clay which sur- 

 rounded the base of the grafts was kept constantly moist ; 

 and the moisture thus suppHed to the grafts operated very 

 beneficially, at least, if it was not essential to the success of 

 the operation." 



Mr. J. D. Parks says, " the best time for grafting is when 

 the stock is far advanced in growth as the setting of the fi-uit. 



* See growth of vine, remarks relative to Mr. Roberts's system. 



