50 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
to short spurs, leaving one or two good eyes, the strongest 
being selected for fruit development. This cutting back to 
short spurs is just the opposite practice of pruning other 
fruits, due to the fact that the grape is borne only on new 
wood. The long-rod system is advocated primarily for the 
shy-fruiting varieties and where very large individual 
bunches are desired. The method is entirely different, inas- 
much as a new cane is used annually. This is selected from 
a strong basal shoot, which is trained to bear the succeeding 
year’s fruit, cutting away the previous year’s fruiting cane. 
By this system all second-year wood is eliminated. 
Prior to starting the vines the house should be thoroughly 
cleansed and fumigated with hydrocyanic gas. The canes 
should be freed from loose bark to permit free ingress of gas, 
thus destroying any hibernating insects. After cutting back 
the lateral shoots to short spurs, the cane should be laid down. 
This is to retard the flow of sap and prevent the terminal 
shoots breaking into growth before the lower spurs, which 
would be the case were the canes immediately tied in their 
permanent position. After the spur growth is equalized the 
canes are tied into place. The next operation is selecting the 
strongest brakes, rubbing off the undesirable shoots with the 
finger or thumb. When the new growth is about a foot long the 
vines should be tied carefully to their supports, leaving plenty 
of room for expansion. Do not attempt to tie into position 
too early, as the shoots may break when bending them down 
into position. Pinching or ‘‘stopping’’ of the shoots is neces- 
sary to avoid excessive growth at the expense of the fruit, the 
number of bunches allowed depending upon the age and size 
of the present cane. Overcropping is a mistake and the cor- 
rect number of bunches to mature should be given careful 
consideration. When the grapes begin to show color all pinch- 
ing should be discontinued, otherwise coloration is affected 
and occasionally cracked fruit will result. If the shoots have 
been kept well under control, very little growth is made at 
this time. 
The ease with which the fruit sets depends largely upon 
the variety. Some varieties will show uneven swelling, due to 
imperfect pollination, and in such cases artificial pollination 
must be resorted to. During this process the atmosphere and 
the plant should be kept dry. When the grapes are about the 
