THE GRAPE VINE. 73 



in growth till the roots have fairly commenced their 

 work. At this stage see that they do not become over 

 dry. Just keep the soil moist, but not wet, and always 

 with water at a temperature of 80". As soon as the 

 young roots reach the sides of the pots and down to 

 the drainage, raise them by degrees out of the plunging 

 material, and stand them on its surface. Eange the 

 night temperature at 65° at night, with 10° or 15° more by 

 day with sun. As soon as they have pretty well filled 

 their pots with roots, and begun to grow away freely 

 with stronger and more transparent-like growth, shift 

 them into larger pots : 7 and 8 inch pots are large enough 

 for growing vines into an excellent condition for plant- 

 ing ; for far more depends on the character of the roots 

 they make, and the ripeness and soundness of the canes, 

 than on mere bulk of growth. 



There is nothing that so much influences the charac- 

 ter of the roots that young vines make after this stage 

 as the nature of the soil, and the position in which 

 they are grown. Take one of these young vines now 

 ieady for a shift out of a 4-inch pot ; let an 8 or 1 

 inch pot be drained, as is so often the case, with 

 a few large pieces of broken tiles or even bricks 

 put into the bottom of the pot in a careless manner: 

 pot them in a soil of rather tenacious character, and add 

 to it a large proportion of rotten manure; plunge 

 them in bottom-heat, and grow them crowded together 

 far from the glass, and what is the result ? The soil, 

 instead of being thoroughly filled with well-ripened 

 fibry roots at the end of the season, is only occupied by 

 a comparatively few long fleshy roots, which never ripen 

 properly, and die in the winter. The cane itself is not 

 of that compact, short-jointed, well-ripened stamp which 



