Jan. 2, 1920.] 



Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W 



51 



most unsatisfactory. Subsequent to the general adoption of the practice of 

 "cincturing," or " ring-barking," the non-setting habit has been overcome to 

 such an extent that it is the common practice among currant-growers to 

 totally spur prune the vine. A large number of spurs are left in order to 

 secure a heavy crop. The cost of pruning is thus reduced and the operation 

 simplified. The fruit at the same time is more uniform in quality. In 

 successful commercial practice there is no system of pruning in which rods 

 alone are left. Certain devices have been tried with a view to abolishing the 

 spur, but in |)ractice they all fail, no matter what their theoretical claims 

 may be. As the rod is established solely for fruit production, it follows that 

 a definite number of spurs in proportion to the rods are needed for renewals 

 in the following year. To this end, the rule is to leave at least the same 

 number of spurs as there are rods, but more generally the spurs exceed the 

 rods in number. 



Fig. 9. — An old vine cut back through the stem sho.ving several water shoots. 



The normal production of wood from a spur during the season will be two 

 well developed canes ; possibly, by reason of the base buds bursting, there 

 may be more. In any case, having in view always the advisability of 

 increasing or decreasing the number of secondary arms when seeking to renew 

 the spur, one naturally selects the lowest suitable fruit-bearing cane, the rest 

 being removed. When re-establishing a rod as well as the spur, it nmst be 

 borne in mind that the rod must be fruit-bearing, and the new spur will be 

 formed from the lower and the rod from the upper cane. As the spur need 

 not in this case be fruit wood, it is preferable to use a well-placed water 

 shoot rather than a badly-placed fruit shoot. In cases where only one fruit 

 shoot is available, but where there are good water shoots in suitable positions, 

 the rod is made from the fruiting cane and the spur from the water shoot. 

 Should the choice be limited to one cane only, the rod must be temporarily 

 abandoned in favour of the spur. Similarly, vines which are normally 



