THE GRAPE. 



the plants should be potted off into a soil prepared for this 

 purpose, by mixing about equal parts of clean sand and rich, 

 rotten turf, or leaf mo.uld in the place of turf. This mixture 

 should be prepared several months beforehand, and be 

 thoroughly pulverized and the parts mixed together ; and un- 

 less the turf is quite rich, the addition of about one-fourth of 

 rotten manure would be advisable. About a thirtieth part of 

 wood ashes improves the mixture. Plenty of water should be 

 given until the plants become established in their new home. 

 When the roots reach the exterior of these pots they may be 

 either transferred to larger ones or to the open ground which 

 completes the process for the first season. 



GREEN CUTTINGS. Propagating by cuttings of unripe wood 

 is practised, when it is desired to increase new sorts rapidly, 

 in connection with common propagation by single eyes. As 

 they do not always mature well, or make strong vines the same 

 season, they are objected to by many propagators. Occasion- 

 ally, however, good strong vines may be obtained. They are 

 made by taking strong shoots in summer, and making them 

 into cuttings with one eye at the top, leaving on the leaf. 

 These are inserted into sand (or the same kind of soil used for 

 single eyes) , as far down as the bud, the leaf resting on the 

 surface. When small numbers are propagated, pots are used 

 and moisture retained in the leaves by placing them under a 

 glass frame in the propagating-house, where the proper de- 

 gree of moisture is maintained without the excess which would 

 cause rotting. On a larger scale the cuttings are placed in the 

 borders of the propagating-house, the leaves forming one con- 

 tinuous green surface. These are kept constantly moist by 

 watering them from the watering-pot, three or four times a 

 day. In about three weeks they will be fit to remove to pots, 

 and are then to be treated like other plants. They generally 

 succeed best by being kept in the house during the remainder 

 of the season, the wood ripening better and the vines becom- 

 ing hardier, than if planted out in open ground, where there is 

 not sufficient warmth to mature and harden the green wood. 



ROOT GRAFTING. This mode has also been somewhat 

 adopted for propagating new varieties. It is done by taking 

 a portion of the shoot with one bud, as shown in the annexed 

 figure (Fig. 550), and inserting a piece of root cut wedge-form 



