GRAPES. 



according to the strength and length of the layer. Pre- 

 viously to its being laid down, take the shoot firmly in 

 one or both hands, near the bottom ; and give it a twist, 

 half or three-quarters round, till you find it give way 

 by splitting longitudinally along the pith. This will 

 not pass further upwards than the lower hand, and it is 

 not intended it should extend more than a foot or 

 eighteen inches from the stole ; the purpose of which is, 

 to cause the layer to bend nearly flat at the neck next 

 the plant, and to check the too great influx of sap from 

 the stole to the layer when it begins to grow. The shoot 

 must now be bent carefully, and placed in the pot, so 

 that two or three joints remain within it, keeping the 

 top as nearly perpendicular as you can ; cover it up with 

 the prepared mould, and press it firmly, to keep the layer 

 from springing out of the pot. It must now be short- 

 ened, leaving two eyes only above the surface, and covered 

 up with the mould round the stole to the depth of the 

 two inches mentioned before : in like manner proceed 

 till all the layers are put down. 



In the spring, when they have grown nine or twelve 

 Inches, they should be staked, tying the two shoots of 

 each layer to the stake, cutting off all the other shoots 

 which are produced upon the bender between the stole 

 and the pot. When the shoots have attained the height 

 of two or three feet, the uppermost shoot must be cut 

 off, leaving the lower one only, training it up from time 

 to time till it reaches the top of the stake, which ne$d 

 not be more than six feet at the most, when it must be 

 stopped : all the tendrils, as they are produced, should 

 be cut off close ; and when lateral shoots are produced, 

 they must be shortened, leaving only one eye to each. 

 When the main shoot has been shortened some time, it 

 will cause two or three of the uppermost eyes to push 

 out into shoots : these must be shortened to two eyes 

 each, which, from the vigour of the plant, will, probably, 



