SEMI-TKOPfC CAITFORXIA. 
Wkulfttrc. 
GRAPE GROWING. 
BT L. J, IWHK. 
LiKO. Hi Clt, Kr>. SKWt-T»*iric:—I 
trying luud to fulfill hit promise to y 
but I mn ao very busy with fny affaire that 
it i« with difficulty that 1 nan get ittfled. 
I have bad the desire to pi to the public 
eitoh fact* as experience has taught J 
about the planting of the vino, and if it 
will be of any benefit to any one it trill not 
only be a pleasure but a duty 1 owe to the 
many parties who are buying cuttings from 
me. 
now to takk oark i»r •hum wptiini.k 
X tttPORK ruttINt.. 
The beet way, whether grape cuttings 
are to be planted as soon as reproved or to 
In* kept some time, is u> submerge. them en¬ 
tirely in water and keep them there for 
twenty-four hours at least, and a> niucli 
longer as it ia desired to keep them; even 
if kept, submerged for two months it will 
do no harm, and probably he a benefit. 
The next best way to keep them is to bury 
them entirely, or four-fifths their entire 
length. Care should he taken not. to place 
them in large masses without earth be* ween 
them, for in that case those cuttings which 
have no earth in contact with them will 
mold, and this mold .* the forerunner of 
decay and death. When to be kept for 
any length of time, them, it would be best 
to place them in such a manner that earth 
mil wane in eoriUoi with every nari of the 
culling which is underground. Than, again, 
cart* should be taken to see that tin earth 
la wet, and kept ao, for if It is as d. v or 
dryer than the cutting, if will absorb’the 
moisture front tin* cutting until the point 
of saturation is equal, whereas if it » kept 
wet it will give op moisture to the cun mgs 
and lump them in favorabJa condition for 
growing. 
TREJ-ililX.; OKOiap jri,K I'USTIS*;. 
The study has ever been with inn how to 
do a given piece of work well enough foi 
success, with the smallest expenditure of 
labor. J break up tny grnurnl a«v four 
week* before planting, using a strong ,,air 
of huraes for an ordinary double plow and 
plow as deep as I can with auch a rig In 
four weeks, or just before planting, I run the 
harrow over it and make it ag , moo ,|, „„ „ 
ran be made Waiting four week* give, 
tune for weeds to ootne un, which are ,-a.ily 
deatroyed by the harrowing. The ground 
n*i«r being ready for idaming, M ol „ 
into square*. We will wry a 40-acr. tract 
e* to be planted. First, 1 would lay nut n 
loam aranue through the ceiilnr.and would 
U..O- U U btt .,a e _,r «».„ 
would be no objection—than have n , ea d 
twenty-four feet wide all around th. not- 
aide. This will give two piece. o1 
Ij.o* on o..;h ..J, of ^ d 
l T“ , *“ h, . W-Mj-f-orlw 
otw three aides. These two 
•***» U divided into four equal spaces, 
extending from the avenue at right angle*, 
and being about twice as long as wide, 
with roads of eighteen feet width. 
Kaeh of the oblong apace, would be 
about MHi yards wide and 200 yards long. 
Now, the first base line is ready for plant 
ing, beginning at the edge of the avenue 
and twenty-four feet inside th* end line, 
running parallel with the twenty-four -feet 
road serosa the end to within twenty-four 
feet of the side line or road 
Then the next base line is begun on the 
avenue lftO yards below the first line, again 
beginning at the avenue and running c.r'irtljf 
parallel with the first planting. 
This gi\ I'd two base lines inclosing lftO 
by say 204 yards. Now, to fill this in is 
an easy matter, provided you are prepared 
with a line or chain made of the smallest 
size telegraph wire, the links being six feet 
long e.r.r.if/y, and containing fifty links, 
with n ring at each end, two feet from the 
end of tiic link. Stretching the chain 
from vine Nn. 1 in base line No. 1 to vine 
No, 1 in base, linn No. 2, will bring the mid 
of each link in the chain even with cut¬ 
tings No. 1 in both base lines, and every 
uhor link iu your chain will show you 
where to plant a cutting, Bnd your base 
lines being made with exactness all your 
ither work will come out exact, and the 
(•w* of your vineyard will all lie straight 
a an arrow in every direction. 
HUT m stance apart »noi7t,u vimcs iir 
J’LAJtTRn? 
1 believe »ix feet each way is belter than 
greater distance for •fit ,.. France arid 
Germany plant much oloaor, ami it in con 
tended that a less distance will produce 
more sugar to the acre, and make belter 
?. There all labor is performed with 
spade, hoe mid hand; here, all labor should 
lie performed by the plow, cultivator and 
horse: there, lahor is cheap; here, it is 
high. Six feet apart givoa plenty of room 
to perform this labor by horse power. To 
plant wider Mpart will produce larger grupes 
md larger hum:hi**, and for raisins, whore 
hi* ie desirable,it may be proper. It, too, 
jivus space la dry raieine among tbn vines; 
but for wine small grape-s are preferred, 
and per acre there will in' a larger yield 
bv 6 than 8 by K feet, although tn the vine 
ther.i will be more the greater tho distaim. 
apart they me planted. 
Having planted one square, thu pl-niting 
of the other* will only be « repetition of 
the first, ami will be easy sailing. 
HOW TO Cl.ANT lilt CT'JTINOS. 
I his ia usually done by making a bole 
with n crowbar trie depth desired to plant, 
S.V from 1* u> lu imili.s, and « man fob 
lowing and placing cutting. If yon are 
planting without irrigation, then much the 
b«M way i. to pour u quart of water ... 
each hole, and have aotna one follow will. 
» crow-bar and immediately close the hoi. 
which is done by forcing Urn bur down 
about threw indie* from the. putting to the 
full depth of the hole containing it, and 
working the bar backwards and forward, 
in lire direction of the cutting. In this 
way the ground ia pressed around the cut- j 
tiny* the whole length of that portion 
which is under ground. Upon direful at¬ 
tention to this apparently trilling matter 
the growth of your cuttings depends, for if 
the li .les are filled or closed at top only, 
the bottom of the cutting will become mil¬ 
dewed, and decay. 
If planting is done hy irrigating, while 
plentmg, making tlu» water do the filling of 
the holes, ao much the better, although the 
fir.t way is good enough if cure is exer¬ 
cised; and oven when irrigating it is much 
safer to have a man follow with thu crow¬ 
bar and probe around each cutting as the 
water runs, and make sure that cadi hole is 
filled with earth. 
Much could be flair) as to how all this 
i* done, how many men can work to ad¬ 
vantage, or form a gang; hut. these ate 
matter* soon learned, and would take more 
time than I now have to devote to this de- 
goriptinii. 
Consist in plowing with a single horsp, be- 
ginini g in the aentre between two rows of 
cuttings with a hack-furrow, and going 
backwards and forwards until nil the land 
i» plowed up to the cuttings. This requires 
a careful hand, or else many of the cut¬ 
tings will be destroyed. If your laud is 
sandv and work# easily, and free from 
il|od>, this will be nil tin- plowing that will 
he necessary, and all after stirring of the 
anil can bo done with a cultivator, cadi 
lino* going the orns* way from time pre- 
fftjns This will level your ground, and 
by following it up once a month until July, 
and again, say in llm middle of August, 
will keep the outi n^s growing vigorously, 
keep your ground, moist with even ton 
ificlii - <«f M»in-bi.ll during the winter (and 
irrigation would be of no benefit), and keep 
your ground free of weeds nod looking 
like a garden. The kind of cultivation is 
nl but little importance; flu* most simple, 
durable and cheapest will lie the best, for 
ytiio ground will be m easy condition f, r 
working. .Stirling the soil in this w»v, 
breaking the enist which form* (a condition 
favorable for evaporation), destroying the 
wenb while they are small, and krening 
Ilia land level, arc the tilings you wiali p, 
aooompllah. 
Wll.l- IT Vh V TO I'.aIhB KillJl'Kit VINK*? 
Thb depends upon various nondittoiiB. 
If it i~ found that the season is a very dry 
one, then planting cuttings in vineyard 
form will be attended by muuh loss, a largo 
per. . ntagi* not growing', without Irrigation, 
Whereas, if in nursery, they can bo better 
(lan d for and watered, itreii by hauling 
• r from a distance. Again, if rooted 
.'* •'** planted, even ill a very dry season, 
lin y will start and grow if such cultivation 
is practiced as bore described. Again, 
i.sni .1 nnt being fully ready will, their 
land to plant this year could root t|„*ir 
vines in nuranry and be ready for next vom 
fur any auasnn that might p.uoo, and gain’, 
say MX months iu growth, for n rooted v i,, 0 ’ 
will make a larger growth than a cutting, 
although it will not bu equal in to the 
