THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 47 



PRUNING GRAPE-VINES IN WINTER. 



BY WILLIAM COLE, 



Head- Gardener, Ealing Park, Middlesex, W. 



[O many amateurs have grape-vines in their greenhouses, 

 that a few directions for pruning and dressing the vines 

 will probably be of service to some of the readers of 

 the Ploeal World at the present moment. 



Much of the success in grape-growing depends upon 

 the manner in which the vines are pruned, and also upon its being 

 done at the right time. The proper time for pruning the vines is 

 undoubtedly when they are perfectly at rest ; and then the amateur 

 will be quite safe in pruning in January or February, It must not 

 be delayed after the last-mentioned month, for the sap then begins 

 to circulate freely, and there is a danger of the vines sutfering from 

 a loss of sap, which is technically known as " bleeding. So inju- 

 rious to the vines is the loss of sap, that practical men make every 

 endeavour to prune before the sap begins to move, and guard against 

 the vines suffering from the cause here referred to. 



The manner of pruning depends somewhat upon the style of 

 training- adopted ; but as the most usual course is to train vines 

 (planted in greenhouses) on the "spur" system, my remarks will 

 refer more especially to that style of pruning. To avoid any misap- 

 prehension, I would observe that the main features of the spur 

 system are to train up a single rod from each vine, and to have 

 lateral shoots at equal distances apart on each side of the rod. 

 These are pruned back to within one or more buds of the base of 

 each lateral. No hard-and-fast line can be drawn as to the number 

 of buds to be left to each shoot, but when the wood is strong, and 

 the lowest bud prominent, the shoot may be cut back to within 

 about half an inch of it. On the other hand, if the lower bud can 

 hardly be seen, the safest course will be to prune to the second bud. 

 There will be no difficulty in obtaining plenty of young wood, even 

 if the shoots are pruned nearly close to the main rod ; for the dor- 

 mant buds will push from the base of the lateral, but they will not 

 be of the same strength as those higher up, and moreover do not 

 often show fruit; and even if they do, the bunches are small. Where 

 there are two laterals to one spur, it is a very good plan to prune the 

 one nearest to the main stem below the lowest prominent bud, and 

 the other in the manner advised above. By this means it is possible 

 to keep the spurs close at home, for next year the top shoot and the 

 spur also may be cut back to the lower lateral, and that in its turn 

 pruned to one or two buds. A sharp knife should be used, and the 

 cuts made in a slanting direction. 



When the pruning is completed, remove the loose bark from the 

 old rod, which can be taken oti" with the thumb-nail, and then wash 

 all the wood thoroughly with hot water and a little soft-soap ; use a 

 rather hard brush, and take care to thoroughly work the brush into 

 crevices about the spurs, for the larva) of red-spiders and other 



February. 



