THE VINEYARD AND ITS MANAGEMENT 85 



two objections to fall planting can be overcome largely by 

 mounding up the earth so as practically to cover the vines, 

 leveling the mound in early spring ; but this extra work more 

 than offsets the labor saving in fall planting. 



In climates in which the soil does not freeze in the winter, 

 the vines may be set in the autumn if all is favorable. Often, 

 however, conditions are not favorable to fall planting in warm 

 climates, since autumn rains frequently soak the soil so that 

 it cannot be placed properly about the roots ; and, moreover, 

 in a cold, water-logged soil the inactive roots begin to decay ; 

 or the soil may be too dry for fall planting. Under such condi- 

 tions, it is often better to delay planting in warm climates until 

 spring when better soil conditions can be secured. Fall or 

 spring, the soil should be reasonably dry, warm and mellow 

 when the work is done. The best time to plant must necessarily 

 vary from year to year, and the vineyardist must decide exactly 

 when to undertake planting in accordance with the conditions 

 of soil and weather, mindful that the Psalmist's injunction 

 that there is "a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that 

 which is planted" is subject to several conditions requiring 

 judgment. The grape puts out its leaves late in the spring, 

 making the temptation great to delay planting ; late-set plants, 

 however, need special care lest they suffer from the summer 

 droughts which annually parch the lands of this continent. 



The operation of planting. 



All being in readiness, planting proceeds rapidly. A gang 

 of four men work to advantage. Two dibholes, a third holds 

 the vines and tramps the earth as the remaining man shovels 

 in earth. Except in large vineyards, four men are seldom 

 available, and gangs of two or three must divide the work 

 among its members as best suits conditions. A tree-setting 

 board is not needed in planting grapes, although some growers 

 use it. The man who holds the vines in the hole and tramps 



