Proper Time for Planting.
—The time for planting cuttings depends greatly upon the season, the quality of the soil and the moisture. In wet seasons the dry land should be planted first, and cuttings might be started there as soon as the first frost allows us to make them with advantage. The moister the soil the later should the planting be begun, and on the contrary the drier the soil and the warmer, the sooner should the cuttings as well as the rooted vines be planted in the fall. December and January are the best months to plant, although with care cuttings as well as rooted vines may be set as late as in April or even in May. As a rule, early planting is better, as it gives the cuttings chance to root well before the hot weather causes the shoots to start. In very rainy seasons, or in wet places, cuttings should be planted later than rooted vines. Moisture in undue degree will cause cuttings to rot, while its influence on the roots of the vines is not as great. Rooted vines stand both moisture and drought better than cuttings do. On sandy, dry soil and in dry seasons I would wish my cuttings planted as early in December as possible; while, on wet places, I would delay planting until after the frost is over in February. The same rule applies to rooted vines, but we must remember that roots begin to send out rootlets almost as soon as they are dug, and that early planting will preserve these for the early use of the vine, while, in late planting, almost every one of these new roots will be destroyed in planting and must be produced over again. We might also say that both cuttings and rooted vines should be set as soon as the soil is in proper condition in the fall. Do not wait for anything after the soil is dry enough to permit planting. Early planted vines will have a good start.
Cost of Cuttings and Rooted Vines.
—The price of Muscat or raisin-grape cuttings generally varies from two dollars and fifty cents to five dollars per thousand, and have been sold as low as one dollar per thousand cuttings. Rooted vines again vary from ten to twenty dollars per thousand, according to the demand and supply. The cost of planting is, of course, different in different localities. In Fresno the ruling prices for vineyard planting with cuttings is one-half cent per cutting. The men board and lodge themselves for this sum. For rooted vines the price is from sixty cents to one dollar per hundred vines. The ground must be in a perfect condition, but the success of the work is never guaranteed, as so much depends upon after treatment. While the actual cost of planting the grapes is insignificant, it will be found that the many different expenses of a large vineyard of say 160 acres will be quite considerable, and few of our larger raisin vineyards in irrigated districts have cost less than fifty dollars per acre during the first year. This includes labor, buildings, tools, etc., but not the first cost of land. With experience and constant supervision, this cost may be reduced somewhat, and under very favorable circumstances from twenty to forty dollars even per acre may cover the cost of planting and maintenance during the first season. But estimates in this direction are not reliable, as one man will spend twice as much as another under similar circumstances.
PLOWING AND CULTIVATION.
Winter Plowing.
—The plowing and cultivation of a vineyard comprise different operations, both in the spring, winter and summer. Winter plowing should begin as soon as the vines are pruned, and should be finished before the buds begin to swell in the spring. The plowing should begin with a large plow and two horses, and the soil should be thrown from the vines towards the center of the land between them. As such a large plow cannot go too near the vines without breaking branches and injuring the buds, a smaller single-horse plow is used to follow after the double team, and to finish up by plowing a furrow nearest to the vines. The depth of this plowing should, if possible, be from six to eight inches in the center of the row, and from four to six inches nearest to the vines.
Vineyard Double Plow.