150 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



one; wliilo resiiUs, so fur as wc have observed them, are greatly in favor of 

 the more methodical processes, several of which we have not time even to 

 notice. 



THE COMMON PROCESS 



Eeferred to, consists in planting one, two, or even three year plants, often 

 with several canes, all of which are cut back, generally to near the ground, 

 and left to grow at random the first season, at the close of whicii the weak 

 plants arc sometimes cut back for another year's trial, while the canes of tlie 

 strong oties are thinned down to two, five, or even six of the strongest canes, 

 and these cut back to two or three feet, or (if a trellis is to be used) to the 

 lower wire, leaving the young wood to grow pretty much at random; only 

 encouraging it to occupy the two upper wires of the trellis. 



Tiie primary shoots having originally been mostly cut back to the lower 

 wire of the trellis, the bearing wood springs from their tops, and at the annual 

 pruning the judgment of the operator is relied upon to select the inost profita- 

 ble wood for tlie next season's fruiting, and to determine how mucli of it 

 ought to remain for that purpose. 



These canes are usually allowed to set all the fruit they will, which is, in 

 consequence, liable to be in excess of the capacity of the plant, and to become 

 imperfect in bunch, and even deficient in quality, on account of excess of 

 quantity. 



There seems to be no provision for tlie removal and replacement of old, 

 elongated, or enfeebled spurs, but this is left to the accident of the pushing of 

 fresh random shoots from the old wood, and to the inspiration of the pruner 

 at the moment. 



Several of the ills that afflict the grape in our country are, by many, and 

 with apparent reason, attributed to their refusal to accept the strait-jacket 

 imposed upon them, by inference, from European systems, for the manage- 

 ment of the less vigorous vinifera. 



Mildew is thought to be increasingly prevalent as a consequence of enfeeble- 

 ment from limiting the range of the roots by too close planting, and its 

 necessary consequent excessive pruning. 



The rotting of the fruit before maturity is, also, by many supposed to result 

 from the same cause — a supposition not without warrant, since tiiis malady 

 rarely, if ever, attacks the fruit of young vines. Experiments in the way of 

 giving the vine more root and trellis room, while they can, as yet, hardly be 

 said lo have established the correctness of this supposition, have, nevertheless, 

 gone far towards rendering it at least probable. 



Evening Session. 



At the opening of the evening session Prof. Beal, of the committee to whom 

 was referred the president's message, made the following report: 



We recommend, in accordance with the president's sugi^jestions, that efforts 

 be made to bring about a more intimate relationship between this society and 

 those of other States and the liritisli provinces. To secure this end, we 

 recommend that messages be sent to other societies meeting at the same time 

 of our own ; that an effort he made to chaiiire the davs of holdinsr the annual ' 

 meeting of some of those societies. We I'ccommend that this society, through 

 its executive board or otiierwise, appoint delegates to attend the ct)ming meet- 

 ings of the American Agricultural Association, the Illinois State Horticultural 



