6oS 



Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 



[Sept. 2, 1920. 



Fonnatioti. — As in other systems, the tuunilation of the stem and main 

 arms should not be establishefl from weak, spindly canes. Assuming 

 that the young vine as planted into the vineyard is a good, one-year-old 

 rootling, it will be cut hard back to a short spur at time of planting, in order 

 to secure one or more strong canes, and to allow the root system to 

 develop. , 



At the end of the first year the young vines will, in most cases, be again 

 cut back to a two-bud spur. One of the desirable objects of this system is to 

 ensure that the main arms come from as near the same level as possible, and 

 in order to secure this a certain amount of manipulation of young growth 

 becomes necessary, by which several buds are secured at the same level. 

 From the growth of these buds the arms are established. 



An imperfect form of the system is frequently seen when the arms are 

 .started from canes with an internode between them. The outcome of this 

 is a more or less pronounced Y below the level of the wire instead of a T, 

 which may ultimately act to the detriment of one or other of the arms. 

 (See Fig. 15.) 



f D 



fig. 16. — Showing manipulation of young growth to secure buds cbse tjgether as in C, 

 ar.d the two canes being trainel in D to form the miin arms. 



The mode of procedure is as follows : — A good strong young cane is trained 

 vertically in the spring, and when it is about three or four internodes above 

 the wire which indicates the height oi the stem the tip is broken off above 

 a bud which is just below the wire. In the course of a week or so the 

 terminal bud remaining begins to grow another shoot, and when this is an 

 inch or so in length it is again pinched back. This treatment results in a 

 number of bucfs being established very much on the same level. The normal 

 growth is now allowed to proceed throughout the growing period. 



At the next pruning the stem is tied vertically and firmly to the wire. In 

 the spring two or more canes will start from about the same level, and 

 may be trained on either side along the wire. (See Fig.. 10.) These canes 

 should be carefully trained along the wire throughout the season, keeping 

 useless growth thinned out in order to foster the strength of the main canes. 



At pruning, in tlie following winter, the two main canes should be 

 shortened back according to the vigour of the vine. A common mistake of 

 pruners is to make these arms too long in the first year, the effect being to 



