Propagation of the Fine. 77 



compost, or woods' earth, which has been prepared for the 

 purpose, and which will not bake. Such material covers the 

 cuttings, protects them from drying, encourages the starting 

 of the buds, does not form a crust, and shows the cultivator 

 just where to look for his young vines, and it is easily re- 

 moved from the points of the shoots as they commence to 

 push through it to the light and air. 



Long and Short Cuttings. The old rule for the length 

 of cuttings was to make them a practical cubit's length, the 

 measure being taken on the fore-arm and running to the end 

 of the fingers. Where the wood was abundant, and the cut- 

 tings brought a low price, say of from one to, at most, three 

 dollars per thousand, the vine-trimmer could afford to be 

 generous, and it was found that in tying up the bundles of 

 one hundred, this length was very convenient. 



The objection to these long cuttings, particularly for nur- 

 sery planting, and the production of vines for sale, was two- 

 fold. The farmer had greater labor in planting, and also in 

 digging them, and the purchaser had fewer roots than he 

 desired ; indeed, many of the yearling plants were little bet- 

 ter than cuttings, by the time they reached their destination, 

 as the slender roots were often withered and dried up, so as 

 to be unfit for planting. Some cultivators divided their cut- 

 tings in the middle, making two of one, so that they were 

 from eight to ten inches long, and had but three or four eyes 

 to each. By careful treatment in the nursery, and by having 

 the ground well selected, well cultivated, or well mulched, 

 the success that attended these short-cuttings was remarkable, 

 and highly satisfactory, both to the nurseryman and to the 

 vine-planter, as the roots and tops were much longer and 

 more vigorous. This shortening was pushed still further, until 

 but two eyes were used ; but these shorter cuttings only re- 

 quired a little care to guard against the effects of drouth. 

 Some growers went even so far as to propagate from a single 



