For this reason it is usually best to apply
fertilizers to vines in the fall; for if given in the spring, a
late, unhealthful growth is often produced. Throughout all
subsequent years manure must be applied judiciously. You may tell
the hired man to top-dress the ground about the vines, and he will
probably treat all alike; a vine that is already growing so
strongly that it can scarcely be kept within bounds will receive
as much as one that is slow and feeble in its development. This is
worse than waste. Each vine should be treated in accordance with
its condition and habit of growth. What would be thought of a
physician who ordered a tonic for an entire family, giving as much
to one who might need depleting, as to another who, as country
people say, was "puny and ailin'?" With even an assortment of half
a dozen varieties we shall find after the first good start that
some need a curb, and others a spur.
Stakes will answer as supports to the vines during the first and
second seasons; but thereafter trellises or arbors are needed. The
latter will probably be employed over the central walk of the
garden, and may be constructed after several simple and pretty
designs, which I leave to the taste of the reader. If vines are
planted about buildings, fences, etc., trellises may be made of
anything preferred--of galvanized wire, slats, or rustic poles
fastened to strong, durable supports.
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