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Page 21
Not only on our neighbor's grounds, but also on our own we shall
discover that some varieties are unusually vigorous, productive,
and well-adapted to our locality; and we may very naturally wish
to have more vines of the same sort, especially if the fruit is to
our taste. We can either increase this kind by cuttings, as has
been described, or we can layer part of the vine that has won our
approval by well-doing. I shall take the latter course with
several delicious varieties in my vineyard. Some kinds of grapes
do not root readily as cuttings, but there is little chance of
failure in layering. This process is simply the laying down of a
branch of a vine in early spring, and covering it lightly with
soil, so that some buds will be beneath the surface, and others
just at or a little above it. Those beneath will form roots, the
others shoots which by fall should be good vines for planting.
Every bud that can reach the air and light will start upward, and
thus there may be a thick growth of incipient vines that will
crowd and enfeeble each other. The probabilities are that only two
or three new vines are wanted; therefore all the others should be
rubbed off at the start, so that the strength of the parent plant
and of the new roots that are forming may go into those few shoots
designed to become eventually a part of our vineyard. If we wish
only one vine, then but one bud should grow from the layer; if two
vines, then two buds. The fewer buds that are permitted to grow,
the stronger vines they make.
It must be remembered that this layer, for the greater part of the
growing season, is drawing its sustenance from the parent plant,
to which it is still attached. Therefore the other branches of
this vine thus called upon for unusual effort should be permitted
to fruit but sparingly. We should not injure and enfeeble the
original vine in order to get others like it. For this reason we
advise that no more buds be permitted to grow from the layer than
we actually need ourselves. To injure a good vine and deprive
ourselves of fruit that we may have plants to give away, is to
love one's neighbor better than one's self--a thing permitted, but
not required. When our vines are pruned, we can make as many
cuttings as we choose, either to sell or give away.
The ground in which a layer is placed should be very rich, and its
surface round the young growing vines always kept moist and free
from weeds. In the autumn, after the leaves have fallen and the
wood is ripe and hard, cut off the layered branch close to the
vine, and with a garden-fork gently and carefully lift it, with
all its roots and young vines attached, out of the soil. First cut
the young vines back to three or four buds, then separate them
from the branch from which they grew, being sure to give each
plant plenty of roots, and the roots BACK of the point from which
it grew; that is, those roots nearest the parent plant from which
the branch was layered. All the old wood of the branch that is
naked, free of roots, should be cut off. The young shoots thus
separated are now independent vines, and may be set out at once
where they are to fruit. If you have a variety that does not do
well, or that you do not like, dig it out, enrich the soil, and
put one of your favorites in its place.
We will now consider briefly the diseases and insect enemies of
the grape. A vine way be doomed to ill-health from its very
situation. Mr. Hussman, a grape-culturist of great experience and
wide observation, writes: "Those localities may generally be
considered safe for the grape in which there are no miasmatic
influences. Where malaria and fevers prevail, there is no safety
for the crop, as the vine seems to be as susceptible to such
influences as human beings."
Taking this statement literally, we may well ask, Where, then, can
grapes be grown? According to physicians, malaria has become one
of the most generally diffused products of the country. When a man
asserts that it is not in his locality, we feel sure that if
pressed he will admit that it is "round the corner." Country
populations still survive, however, and so does grape-culture. Yet
there are low-lying regions which from defective drainage are
distinctively and, it would almost seem, hopelessly malarial. In
such localities but few varieties of the vine will thrive, The
people who are compelled to live there, or who choose to do so,
should experiment until they obtain varieties so hardy and
vigorous that they will triumph over everything. The best course
with grape-diseases is not to have them; in other words, to
recognize the fact at once that certain varieties of the grape
will not thrive and be productive of good fruit unless the soil
and climate suit them. The proprietor of the Home Acre can usually
learn by a little inquiry or observation whether grapes thrive in
his locality. If there is much complaint of mildew, grape-rot, and
general feebleness of growth, he should seek to plant only the
most hardy and vigorous kinds.
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