110 MANUAL OF AMERICAN GRAPE-GROWING 



setting forth in greater detail the results attained by the two 

 operations. 



Results attained in pruning to regulate the crop. 



Proper pruning of vines in their first year in the vineyard, 

 which, as we have seen, consists of cutting the young plants 

 back severely, brings the vines in productive bearing a year or 

 two years earlier than they would have borne had the pruning 

 been neglected. This early pruning, since it is done with an eye 

 to the vigor of each vine, insures greater uniformity in the growth 

 and productiveness of the vineyard. Uniformity thus brought 

 about is important not only for the time being, but for the fu- 

 ture development of the vines, since weak vines, if unpruned, 

 are stunted and may require years to overtake more vigorous 

 vines in the vineyard. 



The quality of the crop may be regulated by ])runing. When 

 vines bear too heavily, the grapes are small, and wine-makers 

 have found that they seldom develop sugar and flavor as do 

 grapes on vines not overbearing. Grapes, on vines too heavily 

 laden seldom ripen or color well. Not only are the grapes on 

 poorly pruned and unpruned vines poor in quality but the 

 grapes on such vines are usually not well distributed and there- 

 fore ripen and color unevenly. The results just mentioned 

 follow because the bunches in a poorly distributed crop receive 

 varying amounts of light and heat depending on the distance 

 from the ground, the distance from the trunk and on the amount 

 of shade. 



Pruning may be used to regulate the quantity of grapes 

 borne in a vineyard and so be made somewhat helpful in pre- 

 venting alternate bearing. Abnormally large crops are usually 

 followed by partial crop failure and biennial bearing some- 

 times sets in, but the large crop may be reduced by pruning 

 and the evil consequences wholly or partly avoided. It fol- 

 lows that pruning must depend much on the vigor of the vine; 



