THE GRAPE. 105 



Let them be in the ground till the warm weather in 

 the fore part of May : we then take them up and plant 

 them in a sloping position, in- a somewhat shaded 

 situation, leaving the upper bud a few inches above 

 ground. In this way almost every cutting will surely 

 grow, and after a year or two, should be carefully 

 transplanted into the vine border. 



The preparation of this vine border is an important 

 process in grape culture in private gardens. It should 

 be made from four to six feet wide, and two to three 

 feet deep, and be composed of a liberal mixture of 

 limestone, or old plaster or mortar, bones, leather- 

 parings, hair, ashes, and strong, well-rotted manure, 

 well mixed with the soil. 



A calcareous soil or gravelly loam is best for the 

 grape, and should be well drained and warm. " The 

 essence," says Downing, "of all that can be said in 

 grape culture respecting soil, is that it be dry, light, 

 deep, rich." It is somewhat difficult in wet clay lands 

 to raise good grapes, unless the vine border is carefully 

 prepared. Soap-suds and wash from the house is favor- 

 able for the grape, and we have known some plants 

 succeed well that were placed immediately under the 

 spout of the sink. For vineyard culture, the nearer 

 the process approximates to the one described above 

 by trenching and enriching, the better. 



Every plant should be thoroughly pruned down to 

 6* 



