March.] the vineyard. 245 



remain on the plant until they are perfectly ripe. As soon as the 

 seed is taken from the pulp, it should be laid in some airy, but 

 shady place, to dry, and then carefully preserved in sand till spring. 

 If, however, the seeds were immediately sown in pots, and preserv- 

 ed in a hot-house, green-house, or under the protection of glasses, 

 till spring, they would then more freely vegetate. Or, sow the 

 seed in February or March, and plunge the pots into a temperate 

 hot-bed; when the plants appear, they will require, from time to 

 time, gentle sprinklings of water, and protection from frost and 

 cold. When so far advanced as to have three or four joints each, 

 they must be carefully shaked out, and planted each in a sepa- 

 rate pot. 



The greatest care will be required in the performance of the 

 above operation, as it will be beneficial to preserve as much of the 

 earth to the roots as possible; then plunge the pots into a gentle 

 hot-bed; give the plants a little water and occasional shade from 

 a strong sun, till they have taken root; after which, give them 

 plenty of air occasionally, so as to inure them to the open weather, 

 and have them fit to turn out of the pots in July, with the balls of 

 earth, wherever they are intended to remain; and from thence for- 

 ward, they may be treated exactly in the same manner as recom- 

 mended hereafter for plants raised from cuttings, only that they 

 will require some slight protection from the frosts of the ensuing 

 winter. 



Propagation by Layers. 



When the vine is intended to be propagated by layers, the best 

 shoots of the preceding season that can be most conveniently 

 brought to the earth, are to be chosen for that purpose. After 

 making the ground light and fine with the spade, each shoot must 

 be fastened with a hooked stick, about five or six inches below the 

 surface, with the tops somewhat erect, and cut so as to leave but 

 two buds above ground: this work may be done at any time 

 when the weather permits, from the middle or beginning of October 

 till the end of March, or rather until and at the time of spring prun- 

 ing; for, if done much later, the top of the layer where cut, and 

 even the parts bent in the operation, would bleed, which would 

 injure it considerably. Some give them a slit where inserted into 

 the earth, but they will root freely with or without such. 



During summer, if the weather proves dry, a little water occa- 

 sionally would be of use to them, just so much as will keep the 

 ground in a moist state. The autumn, or spring following, the 

 layers maybe taken oft" from the mother plants, their tops pruned, 

 the extreme ends of the steins beyond the young roots cut ott" close 

 to them, and so planted where they are to remain; but 1 would 

 prefer doing this early in March. 



This is a very useful and necessary operation, when any of your 

 plants in the vineyard are bad kinds, or in an indifferent state ol 

 health, for you can extend the end of a long shoot from a neigh- 

 bouring plant to where the bad plant was. or stands, entering it 



