24 THE GRAPE CULTUEIST. 



of the plants. Examine the young growth every day to 

 see that it does not commence rotting, or damping off, 

 as it is called ; should there be signs of this, give a little 

 more air ; but be careful of cold currents from the out- 

 side, as these are often fatal to the young plants. Also 

 avoid the direct rays of the sun, either by whitewashing 

 the glass, or nailing up strips of white muslin or paper 

 to the rafters of the house. 



When the plants have made a growth of two or three 

 inches, they should be shifted into two-and-one-half to 

 three-inch pots, putting one plant into each. 



Up to this time no material has been used which 

 contained any appreciable amount of plant food, nor has 

 it been needed, for the growth of roots and leaves has 

 been produced from the food stored in the bud and the 

 wood attached, and what little they may have obtained 

 from the air, water and sand. The plants are now in 

 condition to use more substantial nutriment, conse- 

 quently the soil in which they are to be potted may be 

 composed of rotted sods, taken from an old pasture, 

 mixed with one-half its bulk of old, well-decomposed 

 barnyard manure, or instead of sods use muck, or leaf 

 mold from the woods. These should be mixed together 

 at least six months before using; add one-eighth to one- 

 quarter sand, and turn all over until it is thoroughly 

 incorporated, then sift it all through a coarse sieve before 

 using. Having put a quantity of the soil upon the pot- 

 ting bench, which should be in the propagating house, 

 and provided a quantity of broken pots or bricks for 

 drainage, take the pots containing the plants from the 

 frames, lay them on their side and give them a sudden 

 jar with the hand, so as to loosen the sand around them ; 

 then draw out a plant carefully and hold it in one hand, 

 while with the other you place a small piece of the drain- 

 age material in the small pot, cover it with soil, then 

 put in the plant, allowing the roots to spread out natur- 



