36 THE GRAPE CULTURIST. 



have the least advantage over pure sand, in which to start 

 the cuttings, and a majority of propagators, if I do not mis- 

 take, use pure sand in which to place the cuttings until 

 they form roots. It is not only the safest material for the 

 inexperienced propagator, but it is all that is required by 

 cuttings in the way of soil, until they are in a condition to 

 absorb food through their roots. Sometimes it is well to 

 place a little rich soil in the pots an inch or so below the 

 cuttings so that when the roots reach that depth they will 

 find nutriment to sustain growth ; in this case the re-pot- 

 ting may be deferred longer than would be safe without 

 such a precaution. This is often done by those who ex- 

 pect to have more work on hand than they can attend to 

 at the proper time. Circumstances will sometimes occur 

 when it is not convenient to start the cuttings in pots ; if 

 so, they may be put into shallow boxes or directly into the 

 frames, but when this is done, the plank used in making 

 the boxes or frames should be new ; if not, they should be 

 coated on the inside with ordinary water cement, mixed 

 thin, and laid on with a brush, or covered with slate. 

 Planks that have been used one season will usually have be- 

 gun to decay, and this rotting is often the source of a fun- 

 gus that will spread rapidly through the damp, warm 

 sand, and this is very likely to kill every young root with 

 which it comes in contact. I have known many a thou- 

 sand cuttings to be destroyed by fungi, while the propa- 

 gator was searching for a cause in another direction. 



