80 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



other respects follow what was recommended for the pre- 

 vious autumn." 



Chapter 5th. "As the season approaches to start 

 your young vines, wi.th their wood the gi'owth of two 

 years, many would object to letting them carry a heavy 

 crop of fruit, but content themselves with a light sprink- 

 ling, knowing it to be so adverse to the old-received prac- 

 tice of managing young vines, and that prejudice having 

 taken deep root for years in only a moderate soil, is bad 

 to eradicate. However, it has been my intention in 

 these pages to point out the errors, and improve upon 

 the practice, of bj'-gone times, and I have been able to 

 show by experience that every success will attend grape- 

 growers, if the foregoing instructions be implicitly fol- 

 lowed, and that they will have the pleasure of seeing, 

 from vines the growth of two years, a noble crop of fruit, 

 free from shanking or shrivelling, (as has been frequent- 

 ly witnessed at this place, by many gentlemen, garden- 

 ers and amateurs,) what is not commonly seen till the 

 fourth or fifth year after planting. Presuming your vines 

 were turned out last autumn,* your border renovated, 

 &c., the middle of February will be soon enough to start 

 your young canes this season, as it would be very injuri- 

 ous to them to carry a heavy crop of fruit, and be start- 

 ed very early. Use caution, begin steadily, and you 

 will be better able to succeed permanently, and may, in 

 succeeding years, begin a few weeks earlier each year, 

 by practising which, you will bring them steadily into a 

 proper state, by degrees, for early forcing. 



* This can never be done to advantage in our nortbem States. 



