ORCHARD AND YINEYARB. 127 



without cutting away a single inch; make the excavation about six inches 

 deep at the outaide of the circle and rising so that the center is four inches 

 below the level of the eurrounding ground. Fig. 3 shows this method, the 

 straight line being the surface of the mound on which the plant is placed 

 before filling in the earth. This depth for planting I believe a good one." 



Winter Care of Grape Vine*. — All varietiea of grape vines not thor- 

 oughly hardy should receive some winter protection to secure best results, 

 and it is claimed by many that it pays to give protection to the hardiest 

 kinds even. Some growers attribute their success with Delaware, Duchess, 

 Roger's Hybrids, etc., simply to covering, while their neighbors signally fail 

 with the same varieties. As the treatment in both cases is exactly alike, 

 the different results can only be attributed to the protection given in one 

 case and its omission in the other. The process is simple, and depends on 

 the extent of the operation. After the vines have shed their leaves and ma- 

 tured their wood, they should be pruned, and on the approach of cold 

 weather, loosened from the treUis, bent down on tlie ground, and held there 

 with stakes, rails, or something similar. This is sometimes ifound sufficient, 

 especially when snow lies till late in the spring. If not satisfied with this 

 dependence, a sUght covering with leaves, straw, comst-ilk^, limbs of ever- 

 greens, will prove eflfectual. 

 K danger is to be apprehend- 

 ed from the depredations of 

 mice, which in some sections 

 are very troublesome, a slight 

 covering of earth on the top 

 is all that is necessary. It 

 should be remembered that 



it is tiie young wood of the uj the vixeyabd.- 



present season's growth that 

 is to be protected— this contains the buds in which are the embryo fruit 

 cluster for next year's crop. Of course, similar protection would not hurt 

 the old wood, but it is not always feasible to provide it But the main ques- 

 tion necessarily preceding aU this, on which depends the success or entire 

 failure of the whole operation, is the maturity and thorough ripening of the 

 wood. 



Keeping Grapeg — In Europe a method of preserving grapes is now 

 very generaUy foUowed. The cluster is cut with a piece of the cane still 

 attached, and the lower end of the cane is inserted in the neck of a bottle 

 containing water. Grapes thus treated are kept in a perfect manner for # 

 long time. European journals have figured racks and other devices for 

 holding the bottles in such a manner that they may sustain the weight of the 

 fnut, and also to allow the clusters to hang free, "and much as they would 

 upon the vine. We are not aware that this method has been tried ^ith our 

 native grapes. These, even at the holidays, when the price is the highest, 

 sell for too little ti make tlus method of keeping profitable, but for homo 

 use, the experiment seems to be worth trying. 



Keeping Grapes in CeUars — K grapes mature perfecUy thev mav be 

 kept for a coi sid rableJength of time if cut without bruismg,"and hung up 

 m a dry, cool,-an I rathSr dark cellar. The stem should be covered, when 

 cat, >vitlrVax, an 1 hung ivith the stem up. Immattire grapes will not keep 

 w this way or any other. 



