946 THE VINEYARD. [March. 



into the earth as before, where you wish it to grow, and the next 

 season you will have a tine vigorous plant; observing then, to detach 

 it from the mother vine, by cutting otf the connection close to its 

 new established roots; or you may lay it all the way in the earth 

 from the mother plant to where you desire its top to grow, and in 

 a year disconnect them near to the old plant; this will be the better 

 way, provided you lay it in deeper than the ordinary culture, to 

 secure it from being disturbed thereby. This the French call 

 Provigner la vigne. 



Propagation by Cuttings. 



The method of propagating the vine by cuttings, is in more gene- 

 ral practice than by that of layers, and very justly; for plants raised 

 in the latter way are found to be much inferior to those raised by 

 cuttings, both in point of vigour and durability. 



The particulars necessary to form a good cutting, are princi- 

 pally these: 1st. The eye or bud should be large and prominent. 

 2nd. The shoots moderately strong, round and short jointed. 3d. 

 The texture of the wood should be close, solid, and compact; but 

 the best criterion of its maturity is its solidity, and having very 

 little pith: it is absurd to expect good success or prosperous 

 plants from wood imperfectly ripened. 



Unskilful persons frequently choose remarkably strong shoots 

 for cuttings: the extraordinary size is one of the least necessary 

 requisites; indeed, exceeding strong shoots generally abound too 

 much with pith, and are too long jointed to claim a preference. 



In the proper pruning season, which, in the middle states, I con- 

 ceive to be the latter end of February, or first week in March, 

 much earlier in the southern states, and very little later in the 

 eastern — take your cuttings from the old vines, near to where they 

 were produced; cut off the lower end of each in a sloping manner, 

 half an inch below a bud, and the upper end, in like manner, an 

 inch above one, having the slope on the opposite side of the bud, and 

 leaving the cutting from twelve to sixteen inches long; but twelve 

 is sufficient, if short-jointed, and furnished with at least four or five 

 good buds. 



There can be but one prime cutting obtained from each shoot, 

 though many persons cut these into several lengths, and plant them 

 all, which should not be done except in cases of necessity, for the 

 upper parts are never so well ripened as the lower, on account of 

 these being produced at an earlier period, and having the advantage 

 of the whole season to perfect their maturity. The upper parts 

 being soft and spongy, admit the moisture too freely, which often 

 prevents their growth, and even should they succeed, they will not 

 produce fruit so soon, nor will they bear so abundantly for many 

 years as those whose wood is close, compact, and already organized 

 for fructification. 



Some people recommend taking oft" the cuttings with an inch or 

 two of the two years' old wood annexed, but this is unnecessary, 

 and even injurious, unless the species of plant which you are pro- 



