SECRETARY'S REPORT. 97 



at the first leaf. Do not let the spurs grow more than half a 

 yard or two feet long, for you want strong buds at the base of 

 the shoot to bear next year. 



At the fall pruning, cut back the lowest spur to three eyes ; 

 cut out the second and third spur to one eye each ; this brings 

 you to the fourth spur, which is opposite the first ; cut this back 

 to three eyes ; proceed as before through the whole length of 

 the vine. You will have alternate spurs for fruiting, and the 

 intervening spurs cut back to one eye, to make bearing wood 

 for the next season, when the spurs which have borne this year 

 are to be cut back to one eye, to make new spurs for alternate 

 bearings. A modification of spur pruning, practised by some 

 grape-growers, is to cut back the spur to the strongest bud, 

 without regard to the length of the spur ; rubbing out the 

 shoots from the other eyes, except the one at the base of the 

 spur, which is trained for the new wood of the next season, the 

 old spur being cut clean out, at the fall pruning. Well estab- 

 lished vines, spur pruned, generally ripen their crops a few days 

 earlier than vines pruned on the renewal system. 



The best time of pruning for this latitude is probably the early 

 part of November. If the vine is pruned at that time, the^ 

 organizable matter which the roots continue to take up until 

 hard frost prevails, charges the wood and the buds, making 

 them to start with more vigor in the succeeding spring, and 

 perhaps increasing, to some extent, the size of the bunch. It is 

 safe, however, to prune at any time after the fall of the leaf 

 until the succeeding spring, avoiding to prune when the wood 

 is frozen, or so late in the spring that the vine will bleed, which 

 would be likely to happen at the beginning of April. 



The grape may be propagated by eyes, or by cuttings of sev- 

 eral eyes, or by layers. The bud or eye gives the finest vines, 

 but not having much organizable matter laid up in the wood — 

 as is the case with cuttings — to support it in the early stage of 

 its growth, it will require a year longer to get a strong vine 

 from it than it would from a cutting. Layering is adopted 

 when the vine makes root slowly. Some vines cannot be grown 

 from cuttings without great difficulty ; such vines are usually 

 propagated by layers. 



In summer pruning I never take off the leaves of the vine ; 

 it has no more leaves than are necessary to elaborate the juices 



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