THE GRAPE IN KANSAS. 99 



Cut the roots back to six or eight inches with sharp knrfe or shears, and tops 

 to three buds. Have all the plants thus prepared, and tied in bundles of as many 

 as there will be vines in a row, if the vineyard is to be of considerable size; each 

 variety correctly labeled and separate. Have the vines thus prepared heeled in 

 moist soil where they are to be planted, and arranged in order in which they are 

 to be set. 



With a turning-plow, let a careful man, going by stakes set in straight lines at 

 right angles across the rows as already prepared, lay off straight furrows four 

 feet apart. 



After the vineyard ground is thus "laid off" one way, set the stakes in a 

 straight row, directly over the line of buried poles, or the deep dead furrow first 

 made, which is now under where each row is to stand, and lay off the furrow 

 well and deep. If all has been properly done, these furrows will be nine feet 

 apart. 



Let one person take the vines of the first variety, and if such be Delaware, 

 Moore's Early, Ives, Concord, or other varieties of moderate growth, place a vine 

 properly in every other cross-furrow, thus putting them eight feet apart along 

 the row, while another person attends him with a spade and covers the roots 

 carefully with mellow, fine soil, finally pressing it down firmly with the foot all 

 around, leaving the two buds just above the surface of the soil. If the variety 

 is Herbemont Le Noir, or hybrids of these, or post oak grape hybrids, set a vine 

 in every third cross-furrow, thus giving each twelve feet distance to other vines 

 in the row. If the land is very strong, these varieties will do better sixteen feet 

 apart one in every fourth cross-furrow and will fill the entire space of trellis 

 well with fruit, and fare much better than if set closer and pruned shorter. 



Scuppernong, Thomas and others of the Muscadine varieties should never 

 have less than sixteen feet of space. 



If any varieties have imperfect flowers, such as Brighton and some others, 

 plant next row to them in kinds with perfect flowers that bloom at the same time. 



After the vines are all thus carefully set, make a record of the plantation in a 

 book for the purpose and preserve for future reference. It will save much con- 

 fusion and be a great satisfaction in comparing varieties. 



Varieties of grapes are less known and understood generally among nursery- 

 men than are varieties of almost any other class of fruits; hence you should be 

 especially careful to secure vines from thoroughly posted and reliable growers. 



TRELLISING, PRUNING AND TRAINING THE VINE. 



After trying for years the various forms of grape trellises in common use, and 

 studying the natural demands of the vine, and its behavior on the various trel- 

 lises under different methods of pruning and training, I became thoroughly con- 

 vinced that none of the trellises recommended in works on culture of the grape 

 were fully adapted to best training of the vine, as it grows in all regions where 

 irrigation is not in use, the air moist, growth of vine great, and some form of 

 trellis support absolutely necessary to enable the vine to bear marketable crops. 

 The Kniffin system of training had most merit, but was imperfect, especially for 

 a windy country. 



The vine in nature invariably tries to make a canopy of its foliage over its 

 fruit, body, and root, and yet above ground sufficiently to allow ventilation and 

 diffused light enough to favor the proper development and ripening of the fruit. 

 This was the key to my invention. 



With the single post, the winds thrashed and twisted the vines about until 

 the ties were worn off, and down they came, full of fruit, to the ground, the crop 

 greatly damaged, and requiring immediate attention in tying up again in the 



