THE GRAPE. 399 



possibilities are in favor of a still longer extension of their 

 season. 



That period is now exceeded, among all our kinds of fruit, 

 only by the apple and pear. The apple now fills the whole 

 yearly circle— " it belts the year." The pear continues to 

 ripen from midsummer until the following spring, although 

 there are few sorts that keep well after January; grapes may 

 be kept in cold storage almost as easily as winter apples. 

 The peach in the North continues to ripen scarcely two 

 months at furthest— the plum about the same— while neither 

 will keep long in a fresh state. The hardy grape will yet 

 give us a delicious fruit remarkable for its wholesomeness, in 

 unlimited quantity if we desire it, scarcely if ever failing 

 with seasons — not less than eight out of the twelve months of 

 the year. 



Propagation of the Grape. 



The vine is propagated by seeds, layers, cuttings, and by 

 grafting. 



Seeds are planted only for obtaining new varieties, as de- 

 scribed in an early chapter of this work. 



The facility with which the grape emits roots on its young 

 stems, and the rapidity of its growth, render it one of the 

 most easily propagated of all bearers of fruit. The new 

 shoots, buried before mid-summer, with a few inches of per- 

 manently moist earth, do not fail to throw out plenty of young 

 fibres from every buried joint the first season. Cuttings and 

 single buds under favorable circumstances will root with equal 

 certainty. 



Layers — Sumvier Layering. — Layering is the easiest and 

 most certain, but not the most rapid mode of propagating the 

 grape. It may be done on a small scale, for amateur pur- 

 poses, without any special preparation, by using accidental 

 or straggling shoots, or those purposely left near the foot of 

 the vine. Usually a little before mid-summer these shoots 

 will have hardened sufficiently to prevent the rotting which 

 might occur if buried too soft or green. Extend the shoot on 

 the ground in order to determine the most convenient spot 

 for excavating under the centre. Then make a small hole or 



