Pruning and Training the Vine. 91 



the straighter the cane the more rapid the growth, and the strongest growth 

 from a pruned cane will generally be found nearest the end. 



Fifth. That it is an easy matter to overtax a young vine by endeavoring to 

 make it produce and ripen more fruit than it is capable of doing. A young 

 vine can not yield the crop that an older, matured vine can without injury 

 any more than a young boy or girl can do the work of an adult ; and it is as 

 unreasonable to expect it in the one case as in the other. 



It is said that "order is heaven's first law," and the owner of every vine 

 ought to possess enough of that divine quality to be able to adopt some sys- 

 tem for training and pruning it. 



A few years ago I happened to call on a gentleman who boasted of his 

 profitable grape crop, which he had just sold at two or three cents a pound, 

 on the vines. He had but a few vines, but an acre at that rate, he thought 

 would be profitable. In reply to my inquiry as to his system of pruning 

 and training he replied, he did not understand the science of it. They were 

 on an arbor, and in the sirring he took a grass-hook and clipped off the ends 

 of the young canes where they were so long as to be in the way. " Come and 

 see them! " I did so, and, of course, expressed myself gratified to learn he 

 could grow satisfactory crops under such conditions, but mentally con- 

 cluded I could not and should not adopt his method. The following season 

 I met him and anxiously inquired about the condition of his grape crop. 

 His reply was, "A failure. Did not ripen at all." I was not disappointed. I 

 could not see how it could be otherwise. The fact is, such slip-shod methods 

 do not result in giving prize clusters or premium crops, however satisfactory 

 they may be to the grower in other respects. This will apply to other crops 

 as well as grapes, and I think I may venture to say it is one rule to which I 

 will take no exceptions. It is true, we sometimes hear of great crops taken 

 from vines allowed to care for themselves, but I have never known any to do 

 it year after year, and if any one has received an award of a gold medal or 

 silver plate from this or any kindred society for exhibits of this kind it has 

 escaped my notice. 



The elementary principles relating to the vine already named ought to be 

 so plainly understood that every person of ordinary intelligence, who is the 

 fortunate possessor of a single vine, should be able to 

 prune it with some degree of accuracy. 



The eye is often a quicker and better conductor of ideas 

 than the ear ; and as I shall have occasion to appeal to 

 both of these senses as I proceed, I will now ask your at- 

 tention to some rough sketches I have prepared to assist 

 in explaining the text. First I must appeal to your imag- 

 ination and ask you to suppose that Fig. 1 represents 

 two streams of water of equal length and fall. You will 

 readily see that the water will run a given distance in the 

 straight one quicker than in the other, because there is 

 ^'*^' ^' nothing to impede its velocity. 



Now we will suppose them to represent two vines. The sap will flow up 



\ 



