224 



POPULAR FRUIT GROWING. 



greatly improved if it is warmed by being plowed several times 

 and has a coat of fine, warm manure turned in before planting. 

 When planting on a large scale the land may be marked off 

 with a line, and a sub-soil plow run eight inches deep in the 

 mark to loosen the soil, after which cuttings can easily be 

 pushed into place by hand. The after-cultivation consists in 

 continually working the top soil and keeping it loose and open. 

 In the fall, if the plants are weak, they may be covered with 

 earth and left where they are for another season's growth; but 

 if strong, they may be dug and used for vineyard planting the 

 following spring. It is customary to dig all the vines late in 

 the fall, carefully sort them and heel them in outdoors for win- 

 ter, or else put them in a cold cellar. In the spring the strong 

 vines may be used in the vineyard and the weaker ones be set 

 out in the nursery to grow another year. (See p. 152 on growing 

 cuttings in chapter on Propagation). 



One-eye cuttings. The wood for these should be cut in 

 the fall and wintered over in a cold cellar buried in moss, sand, 



sawdust, or other similar 

 material, or it may be 

 buried outdoors. In the 

 spring, generally in Feb- 

 ruary or early in March, 

 these canes should be cut 

 up into pieces having one 

 inch of wood below and 

 half an inch above the 

 bud. Boxes about the size 

 of an ordinary soap box, 

 but only four inches deep 

 and having holes for drain- 

 age, should be prepared by 

 putting in one and a half 

 inches of rich soil and then 

 about the same amount of 

 clean sand on top of it. 



The cuttings should be set deep enough in the sand to just cover 

 the bud, putting them two inches apart each way. The boxes 



Fig. 103. One year old grape vine 

 from one- bud cutting. 



