March.} THE VINEYARD. 247 
disconnect them, near to the old plant; this will be the better way, 
provided you lay it in deeper than the ordinary culture, to secure 
it from being disturbed thereby. This the French call Provigner la 
vigne. 
Propagation by Cuttings. 
The method of propagating the Vine by cuttings, is in more gen- 
eral practice, than by that of layers, and very justly; for plants raised 
in the latter way, are found to be much inferior to those raised by 
cuttings, both in point of vigour and durability. 
The particulars necessary to form a good cutting, are principally 
these: 1st. The eye, or bud, should be large and prominent. 2d. The 
shoots, moderately strong, round and short jointed. 3d. The texture 
of the wood should be close, solid, and compact; but the best crite- 
rion of its maturity, is its solidity, and having very little pith: it is 
absurd to expect good success, or prosperous plants, from wood im- 
perfectly ripened. 
Unskilful persons frequently choose remarkably strong shoots for 
cuttings: the extraordinary size is one of the least necessary requi- 
sites; indeed, exceeding strong shoots generally abound too much 
with pith, and are too long jointed to claim a preference. 
In the proper pruning season, which in the middle states I con- 
ceive to be the latter end of February, or first week in March, 
much earlier in the southern states, and very little later in the east- 
ern; take your cuttings from the old vines, near to where they were 
produced; cut off the lower end of each in a sloping manner, half an 
inch below a bud, and the upper end in like manner, an inch above 
one, having the slope on the opposite side of the bud, and leaving 
the cutting from twelve to sixteen inches long; but twelve is suffi- 
cient, if short-jointed, and furnished with at least four or five good 
buds. 
There can be but one firime cutting obtained from each shoot, 
though many persons cut these into several lengths, and plant them 
all, which should not be done, except in cases of necessity; for, the 
upper parts are never so well ripened as the lower, on account of 
these being produced at an earlier period, and having the advantage 
of the whole season to perfect their maturity. The upper parts be- 
ing soft and spongy, admits the moisture too freely, which often pre- 
vents their growth, and even should they succeed, they will not pro- 
duce fruit so soon, nor will they bear so abundaatly for many years, 
as those whose wood is close, compact, and already organized for 
fructification. 
Some people recommend taking off the cuttings, with an inch or 
two of the two years old wood annexed; but this is unnecessary, and 
even injurious, unless the species of plant which you are propagat- 
ing, is extremely pithy and spongy, like the fig; for, the nearer we 
appproach to nature's method, by having as little old wood as possi- 
ble about the root of a young plant, the better. 
When the cuttings are thus prepared, they should be laid in 
trenches, close to each other; in some dry part of the Vineyard.- 
