GRAPES UNDER GLASS 201 



Care of the Vines 



With the cultivation of all varieties indoors, more clusters 

 set than the vines can carry. This means that a part of the 

 clusters must be removed, an operation that depends on the 

 variety and one that requires experience and judgment on the 

 part of the gardener. Roughly speaking, half the clusters 

 are taken, leaving the other half as evenly distributed on each 

 side of the vine as possible. The time to take these clusters 

 is also a delicate matter, since some sorts are shy in setting and 

 the clusters must not be taken until the berries are formed 

 and it can be seen how large the crop will be. As a rule, how- 

 ever, this thinning of clusters may be begun as soon as the form 

 of the cluster can be seen. 



It is very necessary also, especially with all sorts bearing 

 large berries, that grapes be thinned in the cluster. The time 

 to thin the cluster varies with the variety. Sorts which set 

 fruit freely can be thinned sooner than those which are shy in 

 setting. On the one hand, the thinning must not be done too 

 soon as it cannot be told until the berries are of fair size which 

 have set seed and which have not; however, if thinning is 

 neglected too long, the berries become over-crowded and the 

 task becomes difficult. The thinning is performed with slender 

 scissors, and the bunches must not be touched with the hand, 

 as touching impairs the bloom and disfigures the fruit. The 

 clusters are turned and steadied by a small piece of pencil- 

 shaped wood. Thinning is practiced not only to permit the 

 berries to attain their full size but also to permit the bunches 

 to attain as great size as possible. If too severely thinned, 

 the clusters flatten out after maturity. This is especially 

 the case when too many berries are taken from the center 

 of the bunch. A large cluster of grapes is made up of several 

 small clusters, making it necessary to tie up the upper clusters 

 or shoulders of the bunch to permit the berries to swell without 



