THE VINEYARD. 119 



TREATMENT OF VINES. The soil for planting should be 

 deep, rich, and thoroughly drained. Two-year-old vines should 

 be set out, and after the first year only mineral fertilizers, such 

 as ashes and bones, should be applied unless the soil is poor. 

 If the winters are severe the vines are laid down in the fall 

 and covered. One of the most important points in connec- 

 tion with grape growing is the" pruning. If left alone the vine 

 will naturally produce an abundance of stem, branches, and 

 leaves. If properly pruned the food taken in by the roots 

 and the leaves goes to the formation of fruit. The vines may 

 be trellised in various ways, depending upon the climate. In 

 mild climates where the vines are left up all winter they may 

 be trained high and spread up fan-shaped. In colder regions 

 one of the best methods is to lead one branch to the right 

 and another to the left about a foot above the ground, and 

 then train branches from these up across the wires. When 

 pruned off in the fall, they can be easily laid down and cov- 

 ered. The method of pruning is easily learned from practice 

 with an expert. The method depends upon this rule : " The 

 fruit forms upon shoots that grow this year from eyes that 

 were formed on the wood that grew last year." All branches 

 growing too long should be pinched at the end or " stopped," 

 so as to cause hardy wood to form. 



Grape-vines are increased in number by cuttings, layering, 

 and grafting. The cuttings are made of the last season's 

 growth, and are buried two buds deep in the ground. In lay- 

 ering, a branch is turned down and buried, when it takes root. 

 In grafting the method is somewhat similar to that of tree 

 grafting, but the scion is inserted close to or below the surface 

 of the ground. 



We have stated before that many of our best varieties are 

 crosses of the fox grape. To understand this we must examine 

 'the blossom of the vine. The blossoms are small and some- 

 what difficult to study. They are of peculiar shape. The 



