PLANTING THE VINE. 115 



who obtain properly grown layers and cut back the roots 

 to at least one half their length before planting, pronounce 

 them to .be equal to plants grown in any other way. But 

 those who have pursued the opposite, and planted them 

 with their roots entire, fail to produce healthy or vigorous 

 plants, and therefore condemn them. 



Vines will sometimes have so great a number of roots, 

 that when transplanted the number of buds left upon the 

 stem is insufficient to call them into action, and they perish 

 in consequence ; for roots will not remain entirely inac- 

 tive for any considerable time during the growing season 

 without suffering. If the roots are so crowded that they 

 can not be distinctly separated and a clear space be allowed 

 for each when placed in the ground, then a portion should 

 be entirely removed. 



If the texture of the soil is such as to make it congenial 

 to the growth of the roots and permit them to permeate it 

 without hindrance, their course will be more inclined to 

 the horizontal than the perpendicular, and certainly the 

 former position is more desirable than the latter. For 

 when the roots spread out horizontally, they remain near 

 enough to the surface to receive the full benefit of all top- 

 dressings of manure which may be applied to the vineyard. 

 They are also more accessible to heat, air, and moisture, 

 than when they penetrate deeply. And while it is desira- 

 ble to encourage the spreading of the roots in every direc- 

 tion, so as to occupy every portion of the soil and have 

 them near enough to the surface to receive all the benefit 

 possible from such a position, yet we should not place them 

 too near the surface at the time of planting, nor endeavor 

 to keep them there. For unless the roots are covered deep 

 enough to prevent their being affected by sudden atmos- 

 pheric changes, the vine will surely suffer. Roots that are 

 near the surface appear to be more sensitive than those 

 which are deeper, and they are the first to start in the 

 spring, and the first to be checked by cold in the autumn, 



