132 



THE ILLII^OIS FAEMER. 



May 



planted his own according to his idea of the re- 

 quisite mode. At the close o the season we 

 saw nio-^t of these vines, and out of the whole 

 number we do not remember to liave noticed one 

 that liad made a greater growth in one cuniiiiuous 

 length than tivo feet, but most of them had been 

 peril itted to throw out numerous branches 

 hardly excnding one-eighth of an inch in diame- 

 ter or one fool in length, while those of our own 

 planting attained fully ten feet in hight, svme of 

 which would have borne several bunches of 

 grapes had we permitted it. We allude to 

 these fac's hy way of illustrating the difl'eience 

 between good and bad management. 



PRErAKiXG THE GHOJND. 



Even for a single vine, a bed or border should 

 be provided, of rich, well prepared soil. But 

 ■p'here a number of vines are to be planted with 

 the view to train them to a trellis, a well drnined 

 border of not less than ten feet wide and eight- 

 een inches deep should be prepared. In prepar- 

 ing the horde-, the ground should be legularly 

 trenched, and as we have said, not less than 

 eighteen inches deep. ,This is done by opening 

 a trench, say two feet wide, to the depth design « 

 ed, and this is filled with the soil taken from the 

 next; trench, u=ually putting the surface soil at 

 the bottom. If the sub-soil is poor, it should be 

 thrown out and carted away, and its pLice filled 

 with good, rich so;l, composed of decayed turf, 

 well rotted stable manure, bones, etc , so that 

 the entire depth trenches shall be filled with soil 

 sufficiently rich to grow any garden crop. We 

 have observed that many persons who have un- 

 dertaken trenching for vines, etc., h::ve merely 

 inverted the earth and soil, placing the surtace 

 soil at the bottom of the trench, and the subsoil 

 upon top, and planted their vines in this way. 

 Unless the surface soil is also made rich, and 

 even to the bottom of the trench, it will be labor 

 lost. 



PLANTING THE VINES. 



The be^t vines are usually propagated from 

 layers. These, if well grown, are best when 

 but of one season's growth. Vines propagated 

 from single ej es or from cuttings do not make 

 so vtrong a growth, yet these are mostly planted 

 at one year old. 



In planting, (we assums that the border has 

 he(u well prepared, and the compost tine and 

 thoroughly mixed), a hole Is to be dug sufficient- 

 ly wide to receive the roots, well spread out in 

 their natural posiiicn, and ten or twelve inches 

 deep. In the centre of this hole raise a m^und, 

 or cone, up to within three or six inches of the 

 surface. Place the plant upon the top of this 

 cone, so that the upper roots shall be from two 

 to turee inches below the surface, then divide 

 and spread out the longest lower roots over the 

 top of the mound, and slightly cover with soil; 

 and then divide another tier of routs, and cover 

 in the same way, so that do two roots shall come 

 in contact with each other; then fill to the sur- 

 face, and gently tread the earth down, beginning 

 at the outside of the hole and finishing toward 

 the vinoi 



TREATMENT THE FIBST SEASON. 



Even if \ines have been planted, here, almost 

 universally, begins the first great error, in the 

 total reglect of traininp'. Instead of cutting 

 back the vine to three eyes, all that chance to 

 be ou the plant are permitted to grow, producing 

 by fall a mass of small weak, unripe shoots, in- 

 stead of one good, strong, well matured shoot, 

 as would have been the case had ail of the power 

 of the vine been concentrated into a single chan- 

 nel. 



The vine should be cut d wn to three eyes or 

 buds, aldioughbut one shoot should be permitted 

 to grow the first s-eason, yet it would no* be safe 

 to cut the eye down to a single eye, lesi by acci- 

 dent that o-ne should be de^trojed. But if all 

 three start and grow, when they are three inches 

 long the weakest one may be rubbed off, and, 

 after a few days, if no accident occurs to the 

 others, the next weakest one may be removed. 

 The second or middle bud generally is the 

 strongest, and the one most desirable to preserve 

 to form the vine. The subsequent care through 

 the season consists in keeping the ground clean 

 and mellow aoout the vines, in titing the vine to 

 a suitable stake, say every eight or twelve inches, 

 and in pinching off th'i i.ur.l shoots, that is, 

 the branches that spring out at the foot of every 

 leaf en the main stcn.. As soon as these have 

 formed three leaves, two of them shall be re- 

 moved. A t( r a few weeks they will push again ; 

 these .hou'd .ilso be pinched off in the same way, 

 removing two leaves and leaving one. By leav- 

 ing a single leaf no injury is done to the vine, 

 or the buds immediately at the base of these 

 young shoots. 



lu a good season, under this mode of treat- 

 ment, the vine may be made to reach the hight 

 of ten to twelve feet, of sir ng, well matured 

 wood. 



if from any cause, the vine doeb not make a 

 string growt". of at least eight or ten feet the 

 first seasoi , it must be cut back in the fill to 

 three eyes, as in the case of the layer at the 

 time of planting, and the subsequent treatment 

 must be the same as that of the first season; 

 and this course must be repeated until the vine 

 does gain the proper size and strength, if it re- 

 quires a sccouud arid a third year, at the end of 

 which period the vine will be considered as one 

 of only a single season's growth. At the begin- 

 ing of fail it is well to check the growth of the 

 vine by pinching off' the end of the main shoot, 

 in order to promote the ripening of the wood. 

 If the weather be warm and wet, in the course 

 of two weeks it will be well to repeat this opera- 

 tion bv checking the new shoot that will put 

 forth. ' 



SECOND TEAR. 



The single strong shoot made the first year 

 should be cut down during the fall or winter to 

 four buds, only two of which should be allowed, 

 finally, to g'ow, the others being rubbed off". 

 These two shoots should be tied to stakes and 

 the laterals pinched out, as directed during the 

 first season. If the vine starts strong and vig- 

 orously, one, and not to exceed two, buDchs of 

 grapes may be permitted to grow ; all the other 



