156 Appendix. 



and fastened tightly to strong posts. When pruning, leave one shoot, 

 the strongest, and fasten it to the lower wire. This shoot is to be the 

 Tnain stem of the vine. This summer the shoots will get to the upper 

 Avire. No trimming is necessary, but all the shoots that come from 

 below must be kept away. Next winter two canes are left, and tied 

 one to the right, the other to the left side and if long and strong 

 -enough, fasten to the upper wire. One or two spurs of two buds each 

 may be left near the" canes below, but all the rest are cut away clean. 

 This year you will have some grapes, but do not allow your young vines 

 to bear too much the first time. The year after this the vines ought 

 to be strong enough to bear a full crop. Three or four canes are left 

 now, with six to ten buds, with as many spurs below. The canes are 

 tied to the wires in a slanting direction, so that they form the shape of 

 a fan. The spurs are for bearing canes the year after. Bearing canes 

 are the young shoots from last year's growth. All the shoots that have 

 come from older wood are not good and will not bear. 



PROPER PRUNING. 



Winter pruning, as well as summer pruning, is very important, as 

 on this depends the success of growing good grapes, and also keeping 

 the vines in good shape and condition. This style of pruning which 

 3 explain here is called the renewing system. Every winter, all parts 

 that bore fruit are cut away, and new, young canes take their place. 

 Vines, forty years old, when always properly pruned, are not any 

 larger than when they were at five years old, except that the stem below 

 is much thicker. 



SUMMER PRUNING. 



The rising sap in spring, which causes the buds to sprout, is forced 

 upward with great pressure, and the greatest pressure is always at the 

 \ipper ends of the vines, and here is always the strongest growth. Now 

 as soon as long enough, the ends of the young shoots are pinched off, 

 v^^ith thumb and finger, leaving one leaf above the upper flower buds. 

 The sprouts below must always develop a little slower, so in a few days 

 you have to go over again, to pinch these, too. The upper sprouts of 

 the spurs are not pinched, and one sprout, at the lower end of the bear- 

 ing canes, may be left untouched, also, as they may be wanted next 

 spring in case one of the spurs should fail. In a short time the later- 

 als or sideshoots opposite the young fruit will push out. These must 

 not be pulled off, but have to be pinched, leaving one leaf again. If 

 the vines are not vigorous and strong, more leaves may be left. It 

 may be necessary, sometimes, to shorten the laterals again, should the 

 vines become too bushy. The leaves opposite the bunches are necessary, 

 to help to feed the young fruit. The food that nourishes the plants 

 and fruit is first prepared in the leaves, which draw the material partly 

 from the air and partly by the roots from the earth. In order to have 

 good grapes it is necessary that our vines have plenty of good, healthy 



