268 AMERICAN GRAPE CULTURE. 



is necessary. If the reader bears in mind that a 

 constantly uniform moisture is necessary for the 

 young plants, he will by this time be able to se- 

 cure it by a proper adjustment of shading and 

 ventilation, being careful not to carry the latter 

 too far. 



The strong light in which the plants have 

 been growing will make " hardening off" an easy 

 process. This should be begun as soon as the 

 plants are well rooted, by admitting a little more 

 air from time to time, thus preparing them for 

 full exposure to the sun and air. When rooted, 

 the plants should be separated and put in small 

 pots, in soil prepared for the purpose, anil the 

 pots placed in the frame. For a few days af- 

 ter this they must be shaded from the mid-day 

 sun, and the sashes kept a little closer shut ; at 

 the end of which time the admission of air must 

 be daily increased, and the sashes finally re- 

 moved, as the weather, by this time, will be suf- 

 ficiently warm to continue the growth without 

 the aid of a frame. The plants may be shifted 

 from time to time into larger pots, and thus 

 grown during the season ; but they will become 

 stunted in pots unless protected in some way. 

 A better plan, therefore, is to plant them in 

 nursery rows, in well prepared soil, or to plant 



