GRAPES 37 



PLANTING 



Some growers prefer to plant two-year-old canes so as to 

 get them thoroughly well established and strong before fruiting 

 age. Others prefer three-year-old fruiting canes, though they 

 are not so ill-advised as to permit them to fruit the first year. 

 We ourselves prefer to plant the younger canes and compensate 

 ourselves for the extra year of waiting by utilising the houses 

 for other crops, such as may safely be grown without detriment 

 to the vines. Having determined to limit each vine to a single 

 rod, we plant at 2 feet from vine to vine, having found that this 

 leaves sufficient space for the amount of foliage necessary to 

 the well-being of the vine and the demands of the fruit. We 

 do not favour the extension system, but for the purposes of 

 intensive cultivation prefer that every rod shall have its own 

 independent root system. 



The young vines raised from " eyes " have been grown on in 

 pots, and their second year's growth has been in 8-inch pots. 

 In December they are pruned hard back to practically one 

 bud, and, when in late March or early April the unforced growth 

 has well started, they are planted in the border without dis- 

 turbing the ball of earth beyond what is necessary to remove 

 the crocks and to liberate a few root ends. 



There is the alternative of planting them in the autumn 

 when the soil could be shaken away and the roots spread out, 

 but our experience is that the late date at which these can be 

 pruned nullifies any apparent advantage by a palpable weakness 

 in the first year's growth. Relatively this is not important. 

 The planter of three-year-old canes is not under the necessity 

 of cutting them back, and in this respect gains, but having 

 tried both methods quite extensively we repeat we favour 

 the planting of two-year-old vines, though the advantages 

 are not so outstanding as to justify dogmatism on our part. 



TREATMENT 



During the first year and until the vines are well established 

 copious waterings must be ruled out. Every grower knows 

 that water must be given sparingly to almost all kinds of plants 

 not yet established, whether they be in pots or set out. This 



