704 
Distance.—This must depend entirely on the kind of vine 
planted. Speechly recommends 6 feet between each plant for 
the weak and delicate kinds, and 12 for the more robust, on a 
wall or trellis 12 feet high. At first temporary plants may be 
introduced between them; these should have been grown in 
large pots 2 or 3 years previous, so as to come immediately into 
bearing, and to be trained so as to occupy the upper part of the 
wall, while the permanent plants are furnishing it below. 
Pruning and training.—Each author lays much stress on his 
own mode of pruning and training ; but as M‘Phail observes, good 
crops depend more upon management, soil, and climate, thanupon 
any method of pruning or training that ever can be adopted. The 
long or new method of pruning has been adopted, and reduced 
to a regular system by J. Mearns of Shobben-court, Hertford- 
shire. The vines are planted in the inside of the house at 24 
feet apart, nearly close to the front wall, and are headed down 
to within a foot of the soil, one shoot only is allowed to proceed 
from each plant, which at the end of the first season is cut down 
to the second or third eye; next year two leading shoots are 
encouraged, the strongest of which is stopped when it has grown 
three or four joints beyond the middle of the roof, and the 
weaker after having grown 3 or 4 feet, for the purpose of 
strengthening the eyes. At the fall of the leaf, the leading 
shoots are reduced, the main one to the length of the middle of 
the roof, and the lower one to the third eye. In the third sea- 
son, one leading shoot is trained from each shoot, and fruit- 
bearing side shoots are produced, and no side shoot is allowed 
to proceed from the spur. The leading shoot from which is to 
become the bearing shoot next year. Thus in the autumn of the 
third season, the lower part of the house is furnished with a 
crop of grapes from a shoot proceeding from the wood of the 
preceding year; and parallel to this bearing shoot, is a young 
shoot for next year’s crop. In winter, the shoot from the ex- 
tremity of the bearing branch is cut off at the top of the roof, or 
within a few inches of it, and the shoot from the stem is cut 
down to the middle of the root, and all -the spurs which had . 
borne grapes are cut out. Each vine is now furnished with 2 
shoots of bearing wood, a part of old barren wood, and a spur 
for producing a young shoot the following year. In the fourth 
summer a full crop is produced both in the upper and lower 
part of the house, the longer shoot bearing on the upper part of 
its length, and the shorter one its whole length ; a leading shoot 
is produced from the short shoot and another from the spur. 
In the pruning season of the fourth year the centre shoot is 
entirely removed and replaced by the side shoot, and this side 
shoot is supplanted by a shoot from the spur in its turn, while a 
spur is prepared to succeed it. J. Mearns has followed this 
system since 1806, and has had abundant crops’ and large 
bunches, and he considers that it may be continued for any 
length of time. 
M‘Phail describes three modes of pruning. The first he calls 
the old method, the general shape of the plant when pruned 
being that of a trained peach. The second is what is called 
spur pruning, which is to head down the natural leader, so as to 
cause it to throw out 2 or $ or more principal shoots ; these are 
trained as leading branches ; laterals from these are cultivated 
about 12 inches apart, as mother bearers, those in fruit are 
stopped, and after the fall of the leaf are cut into one or two 
eyes. The third is the long or new method described above. 
J. Seton, of Stamford-hill, plants his vines at the front and ends 
of the house, and trains the leading branches horizontally along 
long rods, and spurs are left annually on the old wood to 
produce fruit, and when these leading branches have reached the 
end of the house, they are then returned to the end from which 
they proceeded. 
Mr. W. Smith (Hort. trans. 6. p. 522.) gives a description 
AMPELIDEZ. 
IV. Vitis. 
of arched hanging trellises in certain vineries of Scotland, 
which he considers a superior plan to training vines on the 
rafter, or to one or more wires, that while it admits air to the 
house it increases the space for training considerably. He 
thinks the plan capable of further improvement, and that the 
principle might be extended to peach-houses, in which case the 
trellis would require to be somewhat differently constructed. 
Mr. Beattie (Hort. trans. vol. 5. p. 495.) gives an account of 
training his vine-trees in a vinery at Scone in Perthshire. To 
enlarge the surface to the utmost he has erected a trellis under 
each rafter, and from these the vines are trained along the 
back wall horizontally, not exactly to the top of the house, but 
so as to allow the free admission of air and sun to the trellis, as 
well as to the back wall, this method gives a great extent of sur- 
face. The vines are planted in the inside of the house, and the 
glasses are never taken off, but are ventilated by means of a 
ventilator at the top of each sash, and he has always had large 
crops of grapes. 
Summer pruning depends generally on the necessity of admit- 
ting light and air to the fruit and young wood ; and particularly 
on the sort of winter pruning to be adopted. The gardener 
must therefore have a predestinating eye to the following season. 
“ Whatever methods of pruning are used,” M‘Phail remarks, 
“ the grape-vine, through the whole course of the growing sea- 
son, requires constant attendance, so as not to suffer the plant to 
be crowded in any part with superfluous branches or leaves, and 
no more fruit ought to be suffered to dwell on the plant than 1t1s 
well able to bring to perfection. The berries also on each bunch 
should be thinned, so that they may have room to swell, without 
pressing too hard upon each other.” M‘Phail and Abercrombie 
agree in directing, that “ as the shoots advance on newly planted 
vines, they must be kept regularly fastened to the rafters. 
Divest them of their tendrils, and also take off their lateral 
shoots as they appear. Vines may in general be allowed to ex- 
tend 25 or 30 feet before they are stopped. Stop the shoots by 
pinching off their tops, after this 2 or 3 lateral shoots will come 
out near the top, let these extend 12 inches, then pinch off their 
tops; these again will send out lateral shoots, which should be 
stopped at the second joint. In the second season, as soon as the 
shoots are half a span long, the rudiments of the flower-bunches 
will be perceptible. Having thus ascertained the most pro- 
mising shoots, divest the vines of supernumerary branches as 
they rise. On the leading shoots preserve the best laterals 3, 4 
or 5 feet distance, according to the strength of the plant. Train 
the shoots retained on each side the rafter, tying them with matt- 
ing to the trellis. Pinch off the bearing laterals at the secon 
joint above the fruit, leaving only one or two bunches of fruit 
oneach. Rub off water-shoots from the older wood. Pinch o 
inferior laterals and tendrils. After selecting the shoots to be 
trained for the production of a crop next season, and others 
necessary for filling the trellis from the bottom, which shoots 
should generally be laid in at the distance of 1 foot or 15 inches 
from each other; rub off all the others that have no clusters: 
For this purpose go over the plants every 3 or 4 days, till al 
the shoots in fruit have shown their clusters, and shorten those 
one joint above the uppermost cluster, at the same time rub ` 
all water-shoots that may rise from”the old wood. T rain in the 
shoots to be retained, using fresh matting, and allowing sufficient 
room fot the shoots to swell. The spurs or short shoots on 
which the clusters are placed will probably push again after 
being stopped, if so stop them again and again.” 
Hayward (Hort. trans. 1. p. 172.) takes off all collaterals as 
they arise, and any shoots, although laid in for fruit, that a 
out unproductive, that the whole strength of the tree may 0° 
properly applied. 
J. Mearns (Hort. trans. 4. p. 225.) stops the bearing 
