TRANSPLANTING. 81 



when planted in the vineyard. This can not be done with 

 small one-year-old plants without detriment to their future 

 growth. To be sure, they can be planted in the bottom 

 of a shallow trench, which may be left open and not filled 

 up until they have made a strong growth ; but this will 

 require extra care in cultivating ; besides, in most soils, 

 these trenches would have to be cleaned out after every 

 heavy shower. Vines may be left in the cutting-bed until 

 they are two years old ; some cultivators do so, but they 

 do not make so good plants as when transplanted. Some- 

 times they are left there for several years, or until they are 

 wanted for planting or selling ; but such plants are of little 

 value after the second year, as the roots are usually so long 

 that it is impracticable to take them up entire, and they 

 are cut off, leaving all the fibrous roots in the ground, and 

 the remaining roots are so old that they possess but little 

 power to produce new fibers. Had they been transplanted 

 they would have been furnished with an abundance of 

 fibrous ones. For these and other reasons I believe it is 

 better to transplant the one-year-old vines from the cutting- 

 beds or pots to the nursery preparatory to their final plant- 

 ing in the vineyard. The soil for the nursery should be 

 in the highest state of cultivation, containing all the manu- 

 rial ingredients necessary for the growth of the vine, in 

 addition to being deep and thoroughly pulverized. It is 

 expected that while the young vines are in the nursery, not 

 only will their roots be improved, but their general char- 

 acter will be so developed, that a proper selection can be 

 made when they are transplanted into the vineyard, so that 

 plants of equal vigor may be planted in the same row, and 

 every vine upon the trellis may be in an equal state of 

 forwardness, so that each step in the system of training 

 may be applied to all the vines at the same time. This is 

 of the utmost importance if anything like neatness and uni- 

 formity are to be obtained in the vineyard. But it is diffi- 

 cult to secure this if one-year-old vines are planted, as at 



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