96 OPEN AIR GEAPE CULTURE. 



necessity of stirring the soil, by preventing weeds from 

 growing, but it conduces so much more to the health 

 of the tree, and" the size and excellence of the fruit 

 than any other practice in horticulture, that the more 

 intelligent growers in the United States now consider 

 it indispensable in this climate." 



In addition to these lucid directions, we would only 

 •say that before applying mulch of any kind to a 

 young vine it will always be advisable to raise the 

 soil around the stem to the depth to which it is in- 

 tended to lay the mulch, so as 'to prevent any of the 

 latter from coming in contact with the plant, as in this 

 case it might be producti^^^e of evil. 



The annexed fi-gure, 12, where the mulch is seen on 

 the surface of the soil, will illustrate our meaning. 



Fig. 12. 



Laterals* are small shoots which spring from the 

 axils of the leaves (the point which they join the 



* To these the French have given the name stipulairea^ and it seems 

 to us that stipularics would be quite as good a term as laterals, and 

 more correct. 



