MAKING GRAPE CUTTINGS 



335 



of the vine. A good cutting should consist exclusively of one- 

 year-old wood ; that is, the wood which has grown during the 

 previous season. 



The form and length of the cuttings will depend on the use 

 that is to be made of them. If they are to be used as scions for 

 grafting they may be cut up in any way and of any length that 

 is found convenient for handling and keeping them in good con- 

 dition. If they are to be used for rooting either in the nursery 

 or the vineyard it is most convenient to cut them up into the 

 exact lengths which are to be planted. 



The length will depend altogether on the soil and climate 

 where they are to be planted. They should be of such a length 

 that when planted the base of the cutting will be at the level 

 where the conditions are most favorable to root formation. If 

 the base is too deep, it will be too wet and too cold to develop 

 roots. Roots will start higher up and the bottom part will be 

 wasted, or worse still, may decay and injure the vine. If the 

 base is too near the surface the whole cutting may dry out and 

 die before its roots have developed sufficiently to supply it with 

 water. 



In the moister soils of the cooler districts a cutting 10 inches 

 long is sufficient for direct planting in the vineyard. In the drier 

 and warmer interior a 14-inch to 16-inch cutting is better, while 

 in the driest soils of the warmest districts it is often necessary 

 to have a cutting 18 to 20 inches long. For planting in the nursery 

 a 12 or 14-inch cutting is about the most convenient. -If the soil 

 of the nursery is wet and cold more of the cutting should be left 

 above ground ; if, on the contrary, the soil tends to be hot and 

 dry the cutting must be planted deeper and even covered up com- 

 pletely. 



It is not necessary, or possible, to make every cutting of 

 exactly the same length, because they should all terminate at each 

 end at a node. A vine cane consists of nodes where the buds are 

 and internodes between them. The pith is interrupted at each 

 node by a woody partition (called the "diaphragm") which extends 

 through the cane at each bud. In making a cutting, therefore, 

 we should cut exactly through a bud both at the top and at the 

 bottom. This will leave the woody partitions, which will prevent 

 decay at the bottom and drying out at the top. If removed, the 

 pith in the upper internode will be exposed to alternate wetting and 

 drying, and may decay, thus weakening or killing the bud below. 



In planting, the cutting should be placed with just one bud 

 above the surface of the ground, as indicated by the dotted line 

 in the accompanying engraving. It is a great mistake to leave 

 more than one bud out of the ground, as this increases the danger 

 of drying out. 



