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in this way, being forced under glass. The resulting vines are 

 excellent, and are, of course, as nearly as possible in the same 

 conditions as if grown from seed. In spite of these advantages, 

 the system cannot be recommended in practice, on account of the 

 great care which must at all times be bestowed on the young plants 

 in the way of watering, &c., in order to bring them to a successful 

 issue. 



It is evident from all this that a short cutting gives the best vine, 

 but in practice it must be of sufficient length to permit it to reach 

 layers of soil sufficiently moist to enable it to stand through the warm 

 summer months until its own roots are capable of doing so. 



In dry climates, especially if the soil be porous, one will have to go 

 to a more considerable depth in order to fulfil these conditions than in 

 a cool district. This may be expressed in the following words the 

 drier the climate the longer the cutting must be, and the shorter the 

 cutting the better will the resulting vine be. 



The vigneron must carefully consider these points, and, using his 

 judgment, fix upon a suitable length of cutting. As a general rule the 

 following lengths will be found to suit the different regions: 

 First region ... ... ... 8in. to lOin. 



Second region ... ... ... 12in. to 15in. 



Third region ... ... ... 15in. to 18in. 



If recourse can be had to irrigation, it is needless to say that the 

 length of the cutting in the third region may be considerably reduced. 

 In soils which retain moisture for a considerable time, the length 

 may also be sensibly reduced. 



Preservation of cuttings. Although the vitality of the vine is very 

 great, and fragments of shoots which have been exposed to atmos- 

 pheric influences for a considerable time may grow when planted, 

 this is by no means to be relied on, and the greatest care should be 

 taken of cuttings after they have been removed from the vine in order 

 to protect them from the drying influence of the air. Want of care 

 in this respect is frequently the cause of failures in young plantations. 

 The careless way in which cuttings are often sent by rail is strongly 

 to be condemned. One frequently sees bundles of them lying for days 

 at a time in an exposed state on railway platforms or in goods sheds, 

 with the result, often blamed to other causes, that only 20 to 30 per 

 cent, of them strike when planted. Had they been wrapped in damp 

 straw before being sent to the railway station, although perhaps 



