The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1920-12-23

III planting young vines holes should
be dug about two feet in diameter and
IL or 20 inches deep and refilled with
top soil to a depth sufficient to &C.
commodate the plant. 1t is good prac.
tice to immense the roots in bucket
OF clay mud before placing them in
the hole and they should then be care
FULLY spread out on the bottom and the
soil firmly pressed around them with
the foot. If there is more than one
strata OF roots on the young plant the
upper strata should be carefully placed
also but in no case should the roots
be less than six inches below the sur.
race. Any that cannot conveniently
be covered to this depth should be re-
moved. All of the shoots except the
strongest one should be removed be-
fore the plant is set and the one that
is retained should be cut back to two
buds. The longer roots should also
be cut back to length of eight or
ten inches and any spot that shows in
jury of the bark should be removed.
In no case should plant that has been
split or otherwise injured at the base
be planted. A stake six or seven feet
long should be driven beside each vine
when it is planted to which the first
and second years growth may be tied.
This should be done before the hole
is filled to avoid injury of the roots.
When the two shoots that spring
from the buds the first year have at.
tanned a growth of five or six inches
the weaker one should be removed
and after the other has become dor.
mant it should be cut back to two
buds and the same process of selec-
ton followed the second year. This
method is recommended by all au-
thorities the object being the devel-
opment Of strong root system before
the vine comes into bearing in order
that the fruit may not lack nourish-
ment. At the end of the second grow
ing season the single vine which will
have attained length of from six to
twelve or more feet, should be cut
back to a height of about four feet
and later loosely fastened to the first
and second wires of three-wire trel-
lis to be constructed, after which the
temporary stakes may be removed.
Construction Of Trellises
Trellises should be constructed OF
sound cedar posts seven feet long set
firmly in the ground to a depth of two
feet. These posts may be placed 80
feet apart except at the ends of the
rows where spacing should be eight
feet. Strong braces should be fitted
into notches cut about IA inches from
the top Of the end post and 40 inches
from the top of the second post. This
bracing is necessary to prevent the
end posts giving when the wires are
pulled tight. If the ground is soft
wire may be wrapped around the two
end posts near the top and drawn
tight to take the strain of the brace
against the second post should 1t be
inclined to give. Thirty-two-foot spac-
ing of intermediate posts allows room
for four vines between each two posts,
giving sufficient strength for the first
two or three years, after which addi-
tional posts will be necessary to sus-
tain the weight of fruit. These can
then be set midway between the orig
inal posts, leaving space for two
vines between each two posts. The
advantage in defering the setting Of
posts as long as possible is the avoid
ance of unnecessary expense and the
prolongation of the life of the posts
which do not commence 10 decay until
set in the ground. Treating the posts
with some preservative, such as car
bolineum or coal tar for a distance of
six or eight inches above and below
the surface would double or treble
their life Galvanized wires of No. IL
gauge should be used and securely
fastened to the end posts in such man.
ner that they can be undone and slack
taken up when necessary. To admit
OF this being done the staples used
for fastening the wires to the inter-
mediate posts should not be driven
tight. The lower wire should be
placed "a inches from the ground and
the others about 16 inches apart.