8 



should be repeated every fortnight up to the end of August, pro- 

 vided that it is not done naturally by rain." 



We will assume that the vine has now completed its second 

 year of growth from the original cutting. The first year's growth 

 was cut back to within a few inches of the ground, and the second 

 year's growth is now complete (November), and the cane is ripen- 

 ing. With the exception of cutting off all lateral growths to their 

 first leaf as soon as they have grown about four inches, and 

 removing all thin or weak shoots, and keeping the roots as dry as 

 possible, nothing need be done to the vine until January when it 

 should be pruned for fruiting. 



Arbour — Mr. Cradwick writes as follows : — "The vines are now 

 provided with an arbour" and he describes one erected at Hope 

 Gardens, as follows : — " Four stout cashaw posts were inserted 

 into the ground at four feet apart ; a piece of 4" x 4" pitch pine 

 scantling fastened on the tops of these served as the end of the 

 arbour ; a similar erection was made twenty-five feet from the first 

 and from one to the other wires were stretched eighteen inches 

 apart. The front of the arbour was four feet six inches high and 

 the back six feet, thus giving a nice slope. Across the wires thus 

 stretched the vines were trained." 



Pruning — Mr. Cradwick says : — " At the first time of pruning 

 (at two years old) the plants which had made a cane after being 

 cut back to the ground, all the side shoots were cut off close to 

 the main stem, a stronger growth being secured from the large 

 bud which is always present at the base of the first lateral growth 

 than from the lateral growth itself. With the older plants I tried 

 various lengths of pruning the lateral growths, some being pruned 

 back to within two, or even one eye of the main stem, and some 

 were left four, five and six joints in length, as I had frequently 

 been told that the close system of pruning practised in English 

 hot-houses could not be carried out with success in Jamaica." 



Mr. W. J. Thompson says :-"All vines which have been kept dry 

 until now, (February) as I recommended in November last, should 

 have the growth of last year's wood well ripened. The main stem 

 of the vine should be kept as straight as possible. The side shoots 

 should be cut back to a plump bud close to the old wood of the 

 main stem, it being understood that the fruit of this year will be 

 borne on the wood of last year. Vines that have been ill-used by 

 being pruned twice in the year should not be pruned again until 

 late in the spring. Grape vines should only get one general 

 pruning each year ; more than this is injurious to them. Persons 

 who have several vines with quite ripe wood should have begun 

 to prune in December, and should prune one or two every fort- 

 night so as to get a succession of fruit. With enough vines and 

 proper treatment, grapes can be had most of the year. After 

 pruning, the vines grown on a fiat arbour may be left as they are, 

 but those grown on a trellis should be laid or tied down to a level 

 with the bend in the main stem, to enable the plant to push its 

 buds evenly over the vine, instead of pushing just at the top of 



