96 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



espalier with strong wood ; but do not fail to cut them back at 

 every fall pruning to a strong bud, making sure of getting 

 strong wood, though you get it little by little ; cut away all 

 laterals as before. 



You have now got a number of upright shoots for bearing; 

 every eye will push and probably set fruit, and now, unless 

 you have the firmness to cut out two-thirds of the fruit, you are 

 in danger of over cropping the vine with its first crop. Not 

 more than twenty bunches of fruit should be allowed to remain, 

 and these should be of the largest and best placed. The thin- 

 ning should be done when the young grapes are as large as 

 young peas ; pinch these laterals, now bearing fruit, at four 

 leaves beyond the bunch you leave on ; this will generally be 

 the first or second bunch, the largest of course. If the laterals 

 push again, pinch at the second leaf as before. You will train 

 up the alternate shoots, pinching them at the top of the espalier, 

 and also all laterals as before. These are to be the bearing wood 

 of next year. After the fall of the leaf, prune out all the upright 

 shoots which have borne fruit to one bud, and all laterals from 

 the new shoots which you have trained up for bearing next 

 year. 



This is the system known as the renewal system. It is well 

 adapted to the house or the espalier. If applied to vineyard 

 culture, you must have two poles to each vine, (after the third 

 year,) cutting out each cane in alternate years. 



Spur pruning, however, is best adapted to field culture in 

 our climate, if I may trust my own experience. The vine is 

 not called upon to make so much wood, and after it is well 

 established, any intelligent boy who can handle a knife, can 

 prune the vine as well as a thorough-bred gardener. Train up 

 your vine as before, with a single stem ; cut out all laterals at 

 the end of the first year ; and cut back the main stem to 

 eighteen inches from the ground ; lead up a single stem from 

 the upper bud the next year, tying it to the pole and pinching 

 when it has reached to the top of the pole, which should be six 

 feet high. Pinch all laterals^ as in the renewal system, and if 

 the main stem is not strong, cut back to a strong bud. 



The next year you will make your spurs ; let them be alter- 

 nate, right and left, and as nearly cqui-distant as possible. 

 Pinch them in occasionally, and if side shoots push, pinch them 



