532 THE VINEYARD. [Oct. 



of at full length in March, beginning at page 233, 1 refer you thereto 

 for the necessary information. 



In the middle states, rooted vines may now be transplanted if 

 necessity requires it, but in no other case would I recommend 

 it; and these should be protected by laying litter around their roots, 

 or some other suitable defence from the severity of the frosts. 

 Layers, however, may now be made with good prospects of suc- 

 cess; and if you find it more convenient to procure cuttings at this 

 season than in spring, you may plant them; but observe that it will 

 be necessary to cover them lightly with straw, fern, leaves of trees, 

 or some other light covering during winter or many of them will 

 miscarry. Though these plants are extremely hardy when once 

 established, they are rather tender in their infancy, and every ad- 

 vantage of season ought to be afforded them, especially in those 

 parts of the Union where the winters are severe. 



As to the practice of pruning grape-vines in autumn, it is not 

 advisable, except where the winters are very mild. In the southern 

 states this may be done with great propriety as soon in this or the 

 ensuing month as the foliage shall have been shed, but by no means 

 before, as while the leaves remain on the vines will not have done 

 growing, and consequently the wood will not be sufficiently ripe 

 and hard. 



For further observations, together with the methods of pruning, 

 see page 147, &c. See also the Vineyard for next month. 



Planting fVillows for tying vp the Grape-Vines, <§*c. 



In the latter end of this, or the early part of next month, you 

 should make plantations of willows for the purpose of tying up the 

 vines with the small flexible twigs thereof. 



Osiers or willows are also very useful in a garden for tying the 

 branches of espalier trees to trellises, binding up lettuces, cabbages, 

 endive, &c. for blanching, tying bundles of trees or shrubs, making 

 garden baskets, &c, so that a small plantation or hedge-row of 

 willows would be very useful in every garden department. 



The kinds most suitable for this purpose are the SaUxviminalis, 

 or true osier; S.fissa, or basket osier; and S.vitiUina, or golden 

 willow. 



"Willows of those kinds particularly, delight in low moist situa- 

 tions, (though they grow to good perfection in a strong loam,) con- 

 sequently, soil that is generally useless or of but little value, may 

 be profitably occupied by them. Make choice of such ground and 

 plough it deep if possible for the reception of the cuttings; if too 

 wet for the plough, form it with a spade and shovel into four feet 

 wide ridges with deep trenches between, casting up the earth out 

 of the trenches to form the ridges high and rounding; in each ridge 

 plant two rows of cuttings, each row a foot from the edge, and the 

 sets two feet and a hall distant from one another in the row. 



The cuttings or sets should be about two feet long, made from 

 strong shoots of two or three years' growth, and about two-thirds 

 of each set planted or drove into the. earth, leaving the rest out to 



