MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG VINES. 



89 



A 



FIG. 66. 



i, cane niiie months 

 ajter the eye was 

 inserted : a, point 

 of cutting hack in 

 winter to get a 

 strong /rutting 

 cane; &, stmUl side 

 ihoots. 



just before the buds show signs of swelling, or at the very 

 earliest stage of moving. The figures on page 87 show tlie 

 way in which the shoots must be out in order to make eyes. 

 I was taught how to raise Vines by the hundred in a very 

 small space by the following simple plan : Take a number 

 of clean G- or 8-inch pots, fill them one-third full of crocks, 

 put on these some decayed turf pulled to pieces, fill up to 

 the level of the rim with moist soil, make it concave, press 

 it firm, scatter on some sand, and insert the eyes 1 inch 

 apart all over the surface, surrounding them with sand, and 

 leaving the bud level with the top of the soil, not buried. 

 Plunge in a tan bed or propagating box, in order to secure 

 a bottom heat of 70° to 80°. Under this treatment the 

 eyes quickly start growth, form roots freely, and force the 

 bud into a shoot. 



Management of Young Vines. — When the stage 

 indicated is reached we have an eye no longer, but a young 

 plant, which can be induced to develop into a planting cane 

 without a great deal of difficulty. The first thing is to give 

 it more room, and by the time it has made a pair of leaves 

 it must be potted singly. Crock some 4-inch pots, fill them 

 to within J inch of the rim -with a mixture of loam 3 parts, 

 leaf mould 1 part, and sand 1 part, and give a watering. 

 Water the soil in the large pot, and after it has drained lay 

 the pot on its side and remove the plants one at a time. 

 Place each in the centre of a 4-inch pot, and make the soil 

 around it firm. The plants should have a genial growing 

 temperature of 60° to 65°' by night, rising naturally 10° or 

 20° by day, especially with sun heat. If well watered when 

 the soil approaches dryness, they will soon fill their pots with 

 roots, and when these show at the drainage hole the plants 

 should be transferred to 6-inch pots, preserving the ball of 

 roots and soil intact, and pressing the fresh compost firmly 

 round the old. This treatment will ensure vigorous young 

 canes, which will be many feet long within the year. 



Is Home Raising Advisable ?— It is worth while 

 to pause for a moment and consider this question. It is very 

 doubtful whether it is worth while for an amateur to attempt 

 to raise his own Vines. In my opinion he is wise if he 

 saves himself the time and trouble and goes to a 

 nurseryman. Trade growers have holh the convenience 

 and the practical experience required ; amateurs usually 

 lack both. Most market growers raise their own, as do 

 many professional gardeners. In any case the inclusion 

 of remarks on propagating is justifiable on the score of 

 completeness. I want to show Grape growing from the 

 eye stage to the finished hunch. 



Vines for Planting. — Things have changed very 

 much in Grape growing since, just about the time when 

 our Jingoes were singing " The Russians shall not have 

 Constantino-o-pull," I began to learn lessons in Vine 

 making. We used to consider two years a fair time to 



